


Goosebumps United

by sweetie_buttons



Category: Goosebumps - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Yes all those characters really show up, should’ve added them as they appeared with each chapter but oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:22:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 87,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28975806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetie_buttons/pseuds/sweetie_buttons
Summary: Monsters are taking over the city, and everyone is panicking. The kids must team up to defeat them, with Billy Deep as the leader.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monsters have been sighted over the city, and everyone is in a panic. Eight different kids react to the news.

_"More reports of monsters have spread across the country. There have been sightings of ghosts, werewolves, lizards, and even sentient lawn gnomes and ventriloquist dummies. We advise you to be careful, protect your loved ones, and keep under lockdown."_

Billy Deep watched the television with dread in the pit of his stomach. For the last week, it was all that had been on the news. Monsters were spreading over America, and no one quite knew where they were coming from. Thankfully, they only seemed to come out at night, and hadn't harmed anybody yet. They still had to go to school for some reason, maybe because there were only a few days left. Billy was in high school now, along with his sister Sheena.

What was more, Billy himself had personal experience with monsters. Well, sort of. On one of his vacations at his uncle's, he had met a real life mermaid in the ocean. She hadn't been threatening or menacing in the slightest, and they had become good friends. In the end, he had had to say goodbye to her so she could be free in the ocean again, where she belonged. He was sad about it, but knew she didn't want to be caged up like a prisoner or zoo exhibit, which she would've become.

If anything, the real monster he had faced was Alexander DuBrow. He had seemed so nice and friendly at first, before he tried to murder Billy's whole family and capture the mermaid. Billy didn't know what had happened to him after he had been dragged away by the mermaids, and didn't care. He deserved whatever he got.

Then, next summer, he had visited his uncle again, and that time, he had actually encountered monsters. And even then, not really. He had encountered giant fish, but it was only because a scientist had created a potion that enlarged them. The human was the real bad guy again. Billy had been so worried when his sister, Sheena, had drank a bottle of iced tea and said she thought it was the potion, but it turned out she had just been kidding. She was so annoying.

Just then, Sheena walked in. "They're still talking about the monsters?" she asked Billy as she sat next to him.

"Yeah," he replied. "Sheena, do you think..." He trailed off. He was going to ask if she thought the mermaid or Dr. Ritter were one of them. Neither were monsters, but they weren't normal humans either.

On the TV, there was now a kid talking. It was a skinny boy with curly red hair and freckles. He was talking about how he had faced monsters before.

"Well, monster blood," he corrected. "It's green and slimy. It grows and grows, and if you eat even a little bit, you grow too. I ate some, and I grew as big as a house!"

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Sheena asked. She was still somewhat close-minded, despite her recent experiences with strange creatures, though she had at least stopped saying "No such thing".

Billy didn't reply. It wasn't the first kid who had showed up on TV. A bunch of kids had reported their previous experiences with monsters or supernatural beings. There was one girl who said she had put on a mask she couldn't take off, and the next Halloween, her friend had as well. Billy wondered if he could be on TV if he told everyone his experiences. He had always wanted to be on TV, but now, he didn't think it'd be that exciting.

Sheena picked up the remote next to Billy and turned off the TV. She was tired of hearing about monsters. She wanted to forget all about them after her experiences, while Billy considered their visits to their uncle's exciting adventures. Still, hearing about monsters all over the country was distressing for him as well. He was more curious about the kids on TV. Could there really be kids who had been through the same stuff as him?

"I wish we could do something," Billy told his sister. "About the monsters, I mean. I bet we could take them out."

Sheena scoffed. "Billy, what could we do? We're just kids."

"Kids who bravely faced mermaids and giant fish and evil scientists," Billy reminded. "And Alexander's awful cooking." He made a face, both at the mention of Alexander and his cooking.

"Mom and Dad won't let us," Sheena reminded. "They haven't let us do anything since the reports. I'm surprised they even let us go to school each day. Hell, I'm surprised school is still on. Then again, we only have a few days left, and they only come out at night."

"Did I hear that right?" Billy asked in mock horror. "Did you, Miss Know It All, just not want school to be on?"

"I didn't say that," Sheena retorted, glaring at him.

"If only Mom and Dad let us," Billy sighed. "We could totally kill every monster together. Of course, if you're too scared, you don't have to," he added, seeing the scowl on her face. She seemed to reserve it just for him. "I could do it by myself. Oh, I know! You could be my sidekick. The great William Deep Jr...and his sometimes helpful kid sister."

Sheena whacked him on the back of the head. He yelped. "You know what? Maybe I should try fighting the monsters. They have to be less annoying than you."

"I think they're less annoying than you," Billy retorted. "You'd scare them away with how annoying you are. Just start talking about knowing everything, and they'll run away from you." Sheena whacked him over the head again.

He grew serious. "Sheena, those kids on TV... they have to be telling the truth. They have to have faced monsters before as well."

"Maybe," Sheena replied. "I guess we weren't the only ones."

"We can't fight all the monsters by ourselves... but we could with help." Billy spoke slowly, not sure of the idea.

"Oh, no." Sheena shook her head. "You've had a lot of stupid ideas, Billy, but that's one of the stupidest. In the top five. No, maybe top ten... you've had some dumber ones."

"Shut up!" Billy snapped, annoyed by her teasing now. "I'm serious, Sheena. We could find all the kids, and–"

"And what?" she interrupted. "Form a junior monster fighting gang?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes," Billy replied seriously.

Sheena rolled her eyes again. "Even if that was a good idea, which it isn't... how will we find all the kids?"

"I... I don't know," Billy admitted.

"And how will we do it without Mom and Dad noticing?" she pressed. "And how will we track down all the monsters?"

"I don't know," he repeated, realising his plan wasn't as good as he thought. A smug look crossed Sheena's face. She loved being right, and she loved proving Billy wrong.

"We have to do something," Billy insisted, not wanting his sister to be right yet again. "We can't just stand around while monsters are attacking."

"We can," Sheena insisted. "Let the adults handle it."

Billy scoffed. "Let the adults handle it? Are you serious? Like how great Alexander, the scientists, and Dr. Ritter were? Even our uncle isn't the most competent sometimes." He hated saying it, since he greatly looked up to his uncle. Ever since he was little, he had always wanted to be an undersea explorer like him and his namesake.

"They're just a few adults," Sheena pointed out. "The police are all over the country, tracking the monsters."

"They wouldn't understand," Billy insisted. "Only kids appear on TV to say they've seen weird stuff before. Not any adults." He stood up, a confident look on his face. "I won't just be an undersea explorer. I'd be the great William Deep, monster destroyer, leader of... hey!" Sheena whacked him over the head again.

"You won't defeat monsters with that attitude," she said. "You'd get too cocky. They'd kill you in a heartbeat." She sounded a little happy about the idea.

"They'd kill you in a heartbeat," Billy retorted. "No, they'd run away from you because of how annoying you are. You'd probably scare them off better than me."

Sheena started whacking him over the head again. Billy yelled out. "Thanks for the practice, Sheena," he said. "You're the first monster I have to deal with." He knew Sheena was likely right and the idea was a pipe dream, but he still liked thinking about it. Kids teaming up to defeat monsters, with him as the leader... but it was probably harder than it sounded.

* * *

Todd Barstow inspected the unmoving butterflies pinned on his desk. They looked so beautiful, even dead. They were much better than worms. They were more gentle, more pretty. In fact, he didn't know why he had ever liked worms. They were gross and slimy... and terrifying. He shuddered as he remembered the giant worm that had nearly killed him, as revenge for the little worms he ha

He had once had a nightmare that a giant butterfly had flown into the house, brandishing a giant safety pin, and woken up just as it was about to stab him. Then he had laughed. What a dumb dream.

The only downside to butterflies was that he couldn't torment his sister Regina with them. She wasn't afraid of butterflies like she was of worms. She thought they were pretty, even dead. Still, he could torment her in other ways. He had stopped tormenting for a while, but couldn't resist starting again. It was too boring not to.

"Todd!" Case in point.

He glanced up from the butterflies to look at his sister. She had tears running down her face. Todd rolled his eyes. What a baby. She cried over every little thing. It was so easy to scare her, even without worms.

"You did this!" She was holding sheets of her homework. "You glued all my homework together!" To demonstrate, she tried to separate it, only managing to tear one corner of it in the process.

"How do you know?" Todd replied innocently. "Maybe your homework was just too sticky."

"You did!" she accused, glaring at him through her tears. "It took me ages to finish it! Now I'll have to do it all again."

"You could copy mine," Todd suggested, enjoying her distress. It was so fun to torment her.

"You didn't even do your homework," Regina retorted.

"Oh, right," Todd said. "Hey, that's not true. I did one or two lines. You could copy those."

Regina let out a scream and lunged at her brother. At that moment, their mother walked in.

"Honestly, you two," she admonished, frowning. Regina backed away, but not before knocking Todd's Raiders cap off his head. "Don't you have more important things to focus on right now than your petty bickering?"

"It's not my fault, Mom!" Regina insisted, holding up her glued homework. "Todd started it. He–"

Mrs. Barstow held up her hand, silencing her. "I can't believe you two are still arguing. Haven't you heard of the reports of monsters everywhere?"

Todd tensed up at that. He had been attacked by a giant worm before the reports had started appearing. It had been scared off by Regina's paper mâché bird, but simply retreated back into the ground. It could still be there, ready to come out again. Was it one of the monsters?

"I think Todd's more of a monster than them," Regina declared. He glared at her.

Mrs. Barstow let out an annoyed huff of air. "Honestly, you two–"

"Uh, Mom," Todd said uneasily. "Have there been any reports of a... a giant worm?"

Regina laughed. "Todd always has worms on the brain. Well, used to. I guess old habits die hard."

Mrs. Barstow sighed. "Todd, I thought you'd grown past your worm obsession by now. I was glad about that. Then again, I don't like what you do to those poor butterflies much more." Her gaze travelled to his desk.

"But have there been?" Todd asked anxiously.

"Well... yes, actually." Mrs. Barstow frowned. "Did you say a giant worm?"

"Yes," Todd replied, his heart pounding.

"I think one of the news reporters mentioned something about it... but I'm not sure. She mentioned a lot of other strange things as well. An abominable snowman, a giant purple blob..."

Todd's heart beat in his chest. There could be a giant worm out there, the same one that had attacked him. He hadn't told anyone about it, except for Regina and her friend Beth, but of course, they hadn't believed him. At least his friend Danny had been there.

Maybe now, they'd believe him. "Mom," he said, cutting off her rambling. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" she replied distractedly. "I hope it's something important."

"I have something to tell you too," Regina added. "Todd glued my homework together!"

"You know that giant worm?" Todd said, before his mother could reply to Regina. "Well... I saw it."

"What?" his mother asked, while Regina groaned. "Oh, I remember you telling me."

"There was a giant worm that attacked me," Todd insisted, ignoring his sister. "It came out of the ground, and then Regina's bird model scared it off and it went back into the ground again. Danny was there. Ask him."

"Mom, he told me this before," Regina told her mother, who had a shocked expression on her face. "I knew he was making it up. He's always trying to scare me with worms."

"I'm not!" Todd insisted. "Mom, don't you believe me? Didn't you say you saw the worm on TV?"

"Well, I didn't see it," Mrs. Barstow replied, eyeing Todd uncertainly. "I heard about it... but I'm not even sure I did. They might have said something else."

"But you believe me," Todd insisted.

"Todd..." Mrs. Barstow paused. "I'm not sure."

"What?" Todd exclaimed. "But, the news–"

"I know what the news says," Mrs. Barstow replied. "But... I'm sorry, dear, but I don't know whether to believe you. A giant worm sounds like the sort of thing you'd come up with."

"It's true!" Todd insisted. "You know how worms kept appearing everywhere? That was Regina at first, but then they were doing it by themselves. They were getting revenge on me for slicing one in half."

"Wow," Regina said, rolling her eyes. "I was just saying that to mess with you. I didn't know you were stupid enough to actually believe it."

"Todd..." Mrs. Barstow said. "Maybe if you said you saw a ghost or vampire, I'd believe you. But a giant worm? That sounds too much like something you'd come up with. You haven't gotten over worms completely, have you?"

"I saw a ghost and a vampire as well," Todd joked.

"You're dumb, Todd," Regina said, snickering. She was pleased that their mother sided with her.

Todd let out a cry and ran out. Even his own mother didn't believe him. How could she? Couldn't she see how sincere he was, how frightened he was talking about the giant worm?

If his mother wouldn't believe him, maybe his father would. He was in the living room, boarding up the windows with planks. He had started doing so a few days ago, at Mrs. Barstow's insistence. Most other houses had as well.

"Dad, I need to talk to you," Todd called.

Mrs. Barstow didn't look away, hammering the plank. "Not now, Todd. I'm busy."

"It's important," Todd insisted. "I–"

"I have to board up the windows," Mr. Barstow insisted. "There's monster sightings all over the country. We should feel lucky none have come to our area yet."

"They have," Todd said. "I saw one."

"Everyone's going crazy," Mr. Barstow was saying. He hadn't heard what Todd said. "I'm surprised all the schools and businesses haven't closed down yet. But some say it's all a big conspiracy by the government. They're idiots if they do."

"Dad–" Todd pleaded, walking up to him. "I really need to talk to you."

His father moved onto the next window. "This is the last one. You know, you could give me a hand."

"No!" Todd yelled. "You're not listening."

"Cut it out," Mr. Barstow snapped. "You don't seem to have been taking this seriously at all. All you care about is killing insects, and torturing your sister."

Todd let out a cry of frustration. Why wasn't anyone listening to him? Well, maybe Danny would. Yes, he had seen the giant worm too. It might make him feel better to talk to him.

He went up to his room, where thankfully, his mother and sister weren't there. He picked up the phone and dialed Danny's number.

"Todd?" Danny asked.

"Danny, you saw the giant worm, right?" Todd got right to the point. "Maybe that's one of the monsters."

"What?" Danny asked, taken aback.

"You know, the worm that came out of the ground?" Todd demanded.

"Oh. Right," Danny replied. "That was so scary. For a moment, I thought I was going to be killed. By a worm. What a way to go."

"It's not funny!" Todd snapped. "My family didn't believe me when I told them. They think I'm making it up."

"What?" Danny exclaimed. "But why? They're monsters everywhere now."

"I know," Todd replied glumly. "It's because they think I'm just obsessed with worms."

"But you aren't," Danny noted. "Well, not anymore. You've moved on to butterflies now."

"Well, they haven't forgotten how I used to be obsessed with them," Todd said. "But at least you believe me."

"Well, I have to," Danny replied. "I did see the giant worm, after all. It attacked both of us."

"So you think it's still out there?" Todd lowered his voice. "It just went back under the ground."

"I... I don't know," Danny replied. "But it wouldn't be the worst monster I've heard about recently."

"My parents are real jerks," Todd quipped. "So is my sister. Can you believe they didn't believe me?"

"Well, yeah," Danny admitted. "I can believe it. I mean, you were obsessed with worms for a long time."

"You're going to take their side?" Todd snapped, fury building inside him.

"Well, I can see where they're coming from," Danny defended. "A giant worm sounds like the kind of thing you'd come up with. In fact, I'm not sure I'd believe you, if I wasn't there to witness it."

"I can't believe you!" Todd cried. "You're a lousy friend." Before Danny could reply, he hung up.

How could Danny say that? Todd thought furiously. He's supposed to be my friend, and even he's not on my side. My own family thinks I'm a liar, and my best friend agrees with them. The next time he saw Danny, he'd give him a nasty surprise. Not with worms, but with something else. That'd show him for being such a bad friend.

In the meantime, he'd play another practical joke on his sister. Not gluing her homework together, something worse. That'd cheer him up. He was already starting to feel better as he thought about it.

* * *

"Sarah..."

Sarah Maas shuddered, then groaned. She had initially felt scared when Della had appeared around her house, but now she was just annoyed. She apparently wasn't confined to Camp Cold Lake anymore, but still insisted on following her around, always at night, which was when all the monsters sighted came out. It seemed Della was one of them. Sarah thought she had finally escaped from the annoying ghost. She had made her camp experience even more miserable than it a

"Leave me alone, Della," Sarah snapped. Why was she so obsessed with making Sarah her buddy even when she wasn't confined to Camp Cold Lake anymore? She could bother anyone else instead. She had at least stopped trying to kill her, and now just stalked her. They were in the backyard of Sarah's house, where she hoped Della would leave her alone. She didn't.

"I just want to talk to you," Della insisted. Her pale blue eyes were fixed on Sarah's. They creeped Sarah out. They were almost the color of ice, and made her feel cold whenever she looked at them.

"About how much you want me to be your buddy?" Sarah scoffed. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested? I was kind of put off after all the times you tried to kill me," she added in a sarcastic tone.

Della winced. "You can't blame me, Sarah. I just want to go to the afterlife. It's so hard being stuck this way for so long."

Sarah felt a flash of pity, before it disappeared. "It's also hard being stalked by a ghost for so long." She knew she was being mean, but she didn't care. She had been so relieved to escape from Della when she returned from Camp Cold Lake, only for her to show up at her house. She cringed remembering Camp Cold Lake. Her experience there had been miserable, and not just because of Della.

"I haven't tried to kill you," Della pointed out.

Sarah laughed. "Oh, that's great. You didn't attempt murder this time. What an upgrade." Well, it was kind of an upgrade. Anything was better than not being murdered.

"Well, I can't, with your parents and brother around," Della noted. "But even if they weren't, I wouldn't."

That gave Sarah a sudden thought. "You could ask my brother to be your buddy instead," she suggested. It was a joke, but it was actually a good idea. He was a lot more friendly than her, she had to admit, and could make friends with just about anyone. In fact, he'd probably be excited about being friends with a ghost. But he likely wouldn't want to die to be her buddy.

Della shook her head, making her white-blond curls shake. "No, Sarah. I want to be your buddy."

What? Sarah thought disbelievingly. That made no sense. Why would she want to be her buddy when Sarah had been nothing but rude and hostile to her? And for good reason.

"Sarah?" Sarah jumped at the familiar voice. She turned around to see her brother exiting the house. "What are you doing? You know how dangerous it is to be outside at night."

"We still have to go to school," Sarah pointed out.

"True," Aaron agreed. "I think school should be cancelled. If monsters taking over the world won't cancel school, what will?"

"Speaking of monsters..." Sarah said. She decided to let Della speak for herself. She turned around, but the ghost was nowhere to be seen. She always disappeard whenever Aaron showed up, to Sarah's annoyance.

"Was that ghost girl pestering you again?" Aaron asked. Even though for some reason, Della always disappeared whenever he showed up, he believed Sarah about her now. The monster crisis was enough to mostly convince him.

"Yeah," Sarah replied. "At least she's stopped trying to kill me."

"How come this ghost always happens to disappear when I'm around?" asked a suspicious Aaron. "Maybe you did make her up."

"I didn't!" Sarah insisted. "I saw her at Camp Cold Lake, too. I–"

"Okay, okay," Aaron conceded. "I believe you, I guess. I just think it's weird, that's all."

"She really wants to be my buddy," Sarah said. "I told her you could be her buddy instead, but she said no. She only wanted me."

"Hey, leave me out of this!" Aaron exclaimed. "I don't want to be her buddy if it involves dying." Then he smirked. "You know, maybe this ghost has a crush on you."

Sarah glared at him. "Not funny."

"Why else would she always follow you around?" he teased.

Sarah changed the subject. "Do you think some of the monsters are other ghosts?"

"Definitely," Aaron replied, enjoying teasing his sister. "They're one of the more normal kinds of monsters. I've heard about some crazy ones. I even heard there are lawn gnomes that are alive."

"Lawn gnomes?" Sarah scoffed. Her gaze trailed to the lawn ornaments on their own lawn, though there weren't any gnomes.

Aaron glanced at them as well. "Maybe they are alive. Maybe they come to life each night and sneak into our house–"

"Shut up, Aaron!" Sarah cried. "It's not funny."

"You never know," Aaron said, grinning at her.

At that moment, their father came out. "What are you two doing out here?" he barked. "Get back inside!"

They quickly hurried back in. Their mother was there, and their parents started lecturing them.

"I just went out to look for Sarah," Aaron explained. "She's the one who went out." She glared at him.

"What were you doing out, Sarah?" Mr. Maas demanded.

"I just wanted some fresh air," Sarah lied. She hadn't told her parents about her, though she didn't know why. She didn't think they'd understand.

"Fresh air?" Mr. Maas repeated in disbelief. "You know it's not safe out. Especially at night."

"But we still have to go to school," Aaron pointed out. "What's the point of that if we still have to go out every weekday?" Sarah nodded in agreement.

"I'm not sure," Mrs. Maas said, frowning. "You only have a few days left, though. But we try our hardest to keep you two safe."

How safe can I be? Sarah thought. I have a ghost stalking me 24/7. At least Della was more annoying than scary, opposed to how she had been like at Camp Cold Lake. She shuddered when she remembered how she had nearly sliced her head off while she was water skiing.

"You know, I heard about another sighting," Mr. Maas said, looking uncomfortable. "It happened at the town I lived in growing up."

"What?" Sarah gasped. Aaron glanced at him, shocked.

"Yeah, I was shocked to hear it," Mr. Maas said. "I went to school there. Harding Middle School. I remember how the kids spray painted over the sign." He paused for a moment, reminiscing, before growing serious. "Apparently, there were these monsters spotted there. They said they were these purple lizard monsters."

"That's horrible!" Sarah exclaimed. Her father's home town had been attacked by monsters as well?

"So now do you see how serious it is?" Mrs. Maas demanded.

"Yes, Dad," Sarah and Aaron said in unison. Their father looked into the distance, thinking about his home town, and his school. He hadn't been there in years, and didn't have entirely fond memories of it, but it was still horrifying to hear it had been infested with monsters as well. Had anyone been killed? No, if they had, it'd be on the news, he told himself. Still, the thought of monsters where he used to live filled him with dread.

* * *

Gabe Sabry had received a letter from his cousin, Sari. She lived in Egypt, and he visited her and his uncle on occasion. On the last two occasions, they had encountered live mummies and crazier humans. This had caused Gabe's excitement for visiting to wane, especially after all the monster sightings now reported across his country.

It was a good thing his uncle and cousin lived in Egypt, so they didn't have to deal with this. He hadn't heard from her since the recent reports. He read the letter Sari had sent him with growing shock.

_Dear Gabe,_

_I heard about the monsters recently sighted. It's the most frequent thing on the news. I'm sorry you have to deal with it. It sounds terrible, but also sounds kind of exciting. I almost wished there were monsters here in Egypt. It'd make it more interesting. Ever since you last visited, it's been so boring here. Why can't I meet another live mummy, or Egyptian princess?_

_This was supposed to be a surprise, but I have to tell you now. Daddy and I were going to visit you for the summer holidays. You always visit us, so we—or rather, Dad—decided to instead for once. We had already booked a flight._

_After hearing about what's happening in America, Daddy didn't cancel the visit. Actually, he wanted to visit even more. He thinks he can get to the bottom of what's happening and help the police get rid of the monsters. I believe in him. If anyone can do it, he can. I'm excited to visit as well. I'm not scared of monsters at all, like you probably are. In fact, I'm excited to see them. Maybe I can help Daddy kill one of them. They aren't letting anyone travel to America, but made an exception for him since he's working there. I expect the plane shall be very empty._

_Listen, you can't tell your parents. Daddy just knows that if you do, they'll try to stop him and won't want him to come. They can't stop him, but he'd prefer for them not to try. You should get rid of this letter as soon as possible._

_Sincerely,_

_Sari_

_P.S. Have there been any mummies sighted?_

Even as Gabe gawked at the letter in disbelief at what Sari had told him, he couldn't help rolling his eyes at his cousin's antics. She could never pass up an opportunity to tease him, and she was such a daddy's girl. He couldn't believe she was actually looking forward to seeing the monsters—well, actually, he could. She'd probably make it a competition who could kill more monsters. He suspected she wasn't as excited about it as she claimed, though. She was probably a bit nervous about it, but she would never admit that.

He wasn't surprised his uncle wanted to come. He was almost as daring as his daughter. He considered their encounters with live mummies to be the greatest expeditions in his career. Well, also the most frightening, but that was obvious. Gabe supposed the police wouldn't mind having an archaeologist on their side. He was right that Gabe's parents wouldn't approve. Gabe's mother was a lot more sensible than her brother. Gabe was a little excited to visit him again. And even Sari, as annoying as she was.

He started to fold up the letter when his mother came into his room. "Gabe, what did your letter from Sari say?"

"Uh..." Gabe wished Sari had offered him some tips on how to deceive his parents. "Just that she's worried about what's happening here, and that she hopes I'm staying safe. And that Uncle Ben said the same thing."

"That's nice," Mrs. Sabry said. "Can I see it?"

"No!" Gabe clutched the letter to his chest, causing his mother to frown. "I mean, I'd rather you didn't."

"But I want to see it," she protested. "I want to hear from Sari. And I'd like to hear from someone from another part of the world, away from the monsters." Gabe couldn't blame her for that.

"Uh... sorry, Mom." Gabe tore a corner of the letter. "But didn't you get a letter from Uncle Ben?"

"Well, yes," Mrs. Sabry admitted. "He was very nice in it. And very funny. Well, not too funny, but I appreciate how he tried to cheer me up." She smiled, thinking about her brother. Gabe suspected they had a similar dynamic as him and Sari. "But I'd like to hear from my niece, too. She's just like her father."

"She is," Gabe agreed. "They both love picking on me."

"Ben did the same to me when we were children," Mrs. Sabry reminisced. "He could turn everything into a competition."

"So can Sari," Gabe noted, surprised by how similar they were. Like father, like daughter. "She can even turn eating breakfast into one."

Mrs. Sabry laughed. "So did Ben, once. He made it a competition who could eat more pancakes. He won, of course. And he loved scaring me with stories about mummies and monsters." Gabe remembered how he had grossed out Sari by telling her exactly how mummies were made.

"If Uncle Ben was like that to you, why do you always make me visit him and Sari?" Gabe complained. "She's even worse than he was."

"I bet you'd love to visit them now," Mrs. Sabry retorted.

"Yeah," Gabe conceded. "I wouldn't have to deal with monsters then."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Sabry said. "I got carried away remembering them. I guess I miss them more than I thought. I almost wish they could visit us..."

Gabe perked up at that. Maybe she wouldn't be completely opposed to his uncle's plan. "Uh, Mom, about the letter..."

"I really wish you'd show it to me, Gabe," Mrs. Sabry said. "But if you don't want to, I guess it's fine. It is your letter."

She was doing that guilt tripping thing again when she wanted him to do something. Gabe hesitated. He didn't know for sure whether he'd be happy about Ben's idea to help exterminate the monsters. She might think it was too dangerous.

Gabe made a decision, hoping it was the right one. "Maybe you should see the letter, Mom."

"Oh, thank you," she said. "I can't wait to hear from Sari."

"I... kind of lied about what it said," Gabe admitted. "Uncle Ben... he–"

"It's fine, dear," Mrs. Sabry interrupted. "Just show me it, please."

Gabe handed the letter to his mother, who scanned it, her eyes widening. He waited for her to start yelling, but she just read it again.

"Uh... I know it's a bit surprising," Gabe said. "But please don't try to stop Uncle Ben. He'll do it anyway."

"Stop him?" she exclaimed. "Why would I do that?"

"You won't?" Gabe felt relief fill him.

"I'd love for him to visit," Mrs. Sabry proclaimed. "I'm worried about him fighting monsters, but he's an archaeologist. I'm sure he's dealt with stuff like this before. He can handle this. I just hope he gets here safely." Gabe hadn't told his parents about his adventures in Egypt. He wondered if he should now, but decided against it. The letter was enough of a shock for his mother. Besides, Uncle Ben would probably tell her once he arrived.

"I'm glad to hear it, Mom," Gabe said. "But... you know, he's not gonna really visit us. He'll be too busy working with the police to take out monsters."

"Oh, right," Mrs. Sabry realised, looking disappointed. "Well, I'm sure we'll be able to see him at least once. Sari will probably stay with us."

Gabe suddenly imagined him, Uncle Ben, and Sari hunting down the monsters and going on adventures together, just like they had before. "Are you gonna tell Dad?" he asked.

"I... I'm not sure," Mrs. Sabry admitted. "I think I should. Don't worry, I won't make him stop them from coming." She winked at him before leaving.

Gabe smiled, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a while. He wished he, Uncle Ben, and Sari would try to hunt down the monsters by themselves, without the police. It was likely a pipe dream, but it made him nostalgic to think about. He'd put up with all of their practical jokes and teasing and Sari's dumb competitions to see them again.

* * *

"Amy, do you think this looks good enough?"

Amy Kramer rolled her eyes. Even now, her sister was still obsessed with painting. They were in Amy's room, having a sleepover. They were having a great time. It had been so long since they had spent time together. Sara had brought her canvas and had finished painting a forest scene.

"It's fine, Sara," Amy replied, shoving another chocolate raisin into her mouth.

"Just fine?" Sara repeated.

"I mean, it's beautiful, amazing, gorgeous," Amy corrected with some sarcasm, though it really was. Just like all of Sara's paintings.

"Do you think the shade of green is too dark?" Sara frowned as she observed her artwork. "I think it clashes with the sky."

"Maybe you should draw something different," Amy suggested. "Something more relevant to modern times."

Sara turned around, frowning at her sister. "What do you mean?"

"A monster," Amy suggested. "Or several of them. Have you ever painted that before?"

"No," Sara replied. "I prefer scenic shots of places."

"You could draw a monster in that forest," Amy suggested. "There's plenty of 'scenic shots' with monsters these days, according to the news."

Sara frowned deeper, and for a moment, Amy was afraid she was about to snap at her. But then she turned around, dipped her paintbrush, and started painting again. Amy watched curiously. When Sara stepped back, she burst out laughing.

"Wow," she laughed. "I didn't know you'd do that."

There was now a tiny blue monster resembling a dinosaur between the trees, ruining the perfect forest scene.

"It looks much nicer now," Amy remarked. Sara glared at her, but couldn't resist laughing.

"It doesn't look like any of the monsters that have been reported, though," Amy noted. "Maybe you should draw another one."

Sara turned back to her painting, frowning as she inspected it and saw what she had done. Amy sighed. Here it came, the horrified realisation that she had ruined her masterpiece.

"The forest's in the way." Sara turned over the canvas to reveal a blank piece of paper. "I can't paint with the wet paint in the background."

Amy smiled as Sara continued painting. "Uh, Amy, what monsters were sighted?" she asked.

"Lots of them," Amy replied. "Lawn gnomes, scarecrows, giant worms..."

Sara started painting, listening to Amy's reports of monsters. Amy peered over her sister's shoulder. She was a wonderful painter, even when painting differently from what she usually did. Amy had always been annoyed whenever she called her paintings her "masterpieces", or bragged about them, or went on and on about how much work they took, but maybe she was justified.

When Sara stepped back, Amy burst out laughing. She knew there wasn't anything remotely amusing about the monsters taking over everywhere, but it was funny for her sister, who usually drew forests and sunsets and beaches, to draw monsters instead. Amy liked it more than yet another perfect, but boring nature scene.

"You should draw stuff like that more often," Amy suggested, focusing on the giant worm across the canvas. "It's much better than another sunset."

"You want to be reminded of the monsters?" Sara asked incredulously.

"Well, no," Amy admitted. "But... maybe I can laugh at them instead." That was a good idea. Laughing at fear helped it go away.

"Don't think my painting's very funny," Sara noted, inspecting it. It was just as perfect as her other ones.

"Well, no," said Amy. "But..."

Sara turned to her sister. "Do you want to see a really scary monster?"

"Uh... sure," Amy replied.

"Close your eyes," Sara instructed, turning a new page on the canvas. "And lie down. Or turn around. You can see it when I tell you."

Confused, Amy lay down in her bed, closing her eyes. After a while, she felt sleepy. They had stayed up very late. She was just about to drift off when she heard her sister call to her.

Then she felt Sara shaking her. "Don't go to sleep!"

"Okay, okay," Amy grumbled as she got up. Sara showed her the painting. It took a while for Amy's tired eyes to adjust, but when they did, she gasped.

It was the dummy she had met, the one that had nearly ruined her life. Sara had drawn him almost exactly the way he was, despite not having seen him for so long. The brown hair, bright blue eyes, and cherry red lips. He was wearing the same double-breasted suit and black shoes.

"I'm sorry, Amy," said Sara, noticing the horrified expression on her sister's face. "I know it was insensitive of me, but–"

"You think?" Amy scoffed. "I never want to see that dummy again."

"I'm sorry," repeated Sara, taking down the picture and replacing it with her previous one of the monsters. "I don't know what I was thinking. You just said you thought you could laugh at the monsters if you saw my paintings, and–"

"It's fine, Sara," interrupted Amy. "But I'd rather not see... him again. I heard about a ventriloquist dummy on the news."

"So did I," said Sara. "Should we tell the police about Slappy?"

Amy yawned. "Maybe in the morning."

Sara nodded. "Goodnight, Amy." She picked up the canvas and headed to her room. She didn't want to sleep in her sister's. Amy's room was too messy for her taste, though at least not as much as Jed's. Sara always kept her room super neat.

Amy slipped back into her bed. Even though she had felt so tired a few minutes ago, she had trouble getting to sleep now. She couldn't stop thinking about Slappy. Was he really one of the monsters out there? Would he ruin other people's lives, like he had almost ruined hers? 

But she couldn't get to sleep. She kept thinking about Slappy and all the monsters. She eventually opened her eyes and got out of bed. She found herself wandering to the bathroom, though she didn't need to. She splashed cold water on her face and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Dark bangs hung under her green eyes. She hadn't gotten much sleep recently. She was too stressed and scared.

She brushed her teeth. Then she opened the drawers under the kitchen sink and started cleaning the items inside with the water and rag on the sink. She didn't know why. It gave her something to do. Strangely enough, the process calmed her. She almost laughed. Maybe she was turning into Sara.

Some of the items were very dirty. Amy grimaced as she found a moldy, half-eaten sandwich. It reminded her of when she had found that sandwich in Slappy's head. She threw her in the bin.

Then, she found a sponge. She used it to wipe the sink. It worked much better than the tattered rag. But then, she noticed something odd about it. It felt like it was moving in her hand.

She glanced down at it. It seemed to be vibrating, expanding and withdrawing, almost like it was breathing in and out. But that was ridiculous. Sponges couldn't breathe.

Still, it freaked her out. She tossed it back into the cupboard. She was done cleaning. She returned to her room, and found it easier to get to sleep.

* * *

Carly Beth Caldwell lay in bed, her eyes shut tightly. Her nightlight was on, even though she had stopped sleeping with one years ago. The dim, wavering light comforted her. But she couldn't get to sleep. Her mind was filled with the reports of monsters. It made her remember when she had almost become a monster herself. She could be one of the monsters out there, if the mask had taken her over.

No, she couldn't think like that. She moved onto a slightly less horrifying thought. What if the mask itself was one of the monsters? Slightly less horrifying, but still horrifying. It was more of an object. At least it wouldn't hurt anyone unless they put it on. And Carly Beth doubted they would, with the monsters that were everywhere. Unless they had a sick sense of humor and wanted to scare everyone. Like Chuck and Steve... but Carly Beth doubted even they would do that.

She tried to force the monsters out of her mind and think about something different. Her mother. She thought about when they had gone to the fair together when she was little. Mom had bought her candy and hugged her when she fell over. When some boys had scared her and made her cry (not Chuck and Steve, surprisingly), her mom had yelled at them and scared them even more with her scolding. They had quickly apologized and ran off.

They had had a great time together. Dad and Noah were away, so it was just the two of them. Thinking about her mother, all thoughts of monsters disappeared from Carly Beth's mind. She wished she was with her, singing her a lullaby and assuring her everything would be alright.

She was just about to drift off when she felt something icy cold on the back of her neck. She went completely still, and her stomach felt icy cold as well. When it pinched her neck, she let out a scream, sitting up.

Then she saw her brother Noah laughing. "Wow, Carly Beth. I can't believe you got scared by that."

"Noah!" she shrieked. She picked up her pillow and started hitting him over the head with it.

"I didn't even bring anything to scare you with," Noah said, still laughing. "I just pinched you. And it made you do the Carly Beth scream."

"The Carly Beth scream?" she demanded.

"It's the scream only you can do," Noah explained, grinning. "It's high and shrill, and happens at every little thing. But I haven't heard one in a while. I thought you'd stopped doing them."

"I'm just on edge," Carly Beth argued. "There's monsters everywhere. And I was just about to falł asleep. You disturbed me."

"You mean I scared you," Noah corrected smugly. "I thought you were braver now."

That made Carly Beth pause. Was he right? She did still get scared sometimes. When it was completely dark, without a flicker or spot of light, she felt dread in the pit of her stomach. When she watched horror movies, she screamed at the scariest parts. When she had to walk home alone at night, she felt unease overtake her. Was she really braver, or was she just pretending?

"Get out, Noah," she demanded. When she settled back into bed, she turned off the nightlight, wanting to prove to herself that she was brave.

* * *

"You know what?" Shari Walker asked over the phone. "I preferred it when Pitts Landing was boring."

"It's boring now as well," Greg Banks retorted. "Even more boring than before. We're not allowed to go out anywhere or do anything."

"At least we hear about all the monsters," Shari said. "That isn't boring."

"It is if we don't ever see any," Greg retorted. "We just hear about them."

"We do, on the news," Shari noted. "Well, when there's footage. But honestly, Greg, don't you think we've had enough excitement?"

Greg supposed that was true. His past summers at Pitts Landing had been horrifying instead of dull and boring like they usually were. Ever since he had found that evil camera that had caused so much trouble. And that he couldn't put down for some reason. He wondered if it was one of the monsters out there. It wasn't a monster, more an object. A very evil object.

At least he didn't have to deal with Mr. Saur anymore. He was in high school, thankfully one without him. He had changed schools after becoming bald as a result of the camera. The kids were too amused to take him seriously anymore, no matter how intimidating he tried to be.

"I think Mr. Saur's a monster," he joked. "I bet the monsters out there are nicer than him."

"Was he really mean to you?" asked Shari.

"Yeah," Greg replied. "He kept making fun of my weight." His blood boiled thinking about it. Saur has been so cruel. Making fun of him, making awful jokes about his weight even when the meanest kids in class left him alone because they could tell there was something seriously wrong with him.

""I feel bad for the kids at the school he teaches at now," said Shari. Greg agreed.

"He's bald now," Greg noted. "Serves him right." He had been lucky. The camera had done far worse things to other people than taking their hair. The entire class had laughed at him, including Greg.

"I suppose it does," Shari agreed. "He got off easy. Still, I wish you hadn't brought that camera to school, after everything it did."

"Saud deserved it," Greg insisted. He had been so desperate for revenge on the cruel teacher. A sudden thought came to him. "Shari... do you think anyone's discovered the camera?" They had returned it to the now taken down Hoffman house.

"I don't know," she replied. "It just looks like a normal camera. Someone might find it and take a picture without knowing what it does."

"Like we did," Greg noted. "And we kept doing it." He cringed remembering. They had been so stupid. Why couldn't they just get rid of the camera?

"Do you think Spidey's out there?” Shari implored. The name made Greg's spine tingle. "As one of the monsters?"

"He's not a monster," Greg noted. "Well, not really. He just made the camera." Thinking about it, he felt a little bad for Spidey. He had his life ruined because of the camera. It was his partner who had cursed it. Then, he remembered something. "How could he be?" he asked. "He's dead. You took his picture, remember?”

"Oh, right," said an embarrassed Shari. "How could I forget?"

"I wish Saur was," Greg said bitterly.

"Greg!" exclaimed Shari. "You don't mean that."

"I don't," Greg admitted. He hated Saur, but he didn't wish death on him. He wasn't that kind of person. Just pain and humiliation, which he had suffered thanks to the camera. Was the camera causing other people pain and humiliation right now?

* * *

The Dark family was in danger.

Everyone knew about the monsters sighted that everyone was now either terrified of or trying to hunt down. Or both. All of Timberland Falls was in a panic, along with the rest of the country. The Darks were an entire family of monsters, so obviously they were in a highly dangerous position. Thankfully, they could only reveal they were monsters by transforming, and otherwise looked like normal humans. Lucy and Randy, the children, were too young to transform. Since Lucy had turned thirteen, her fangs had just started to grow, but they were still very blunt.

Like the other houses in Timberland Falls, their windows were boarded and doors were locked, but for a different reason. Instead of hiding from the monsters, they were hiding from humans. And the monsters as well, since some of them sounded malicious.

"I'm scared, Lucy," Randy whimpered. "It's like all the monster stories you told me are coming true."

For the first time, Lucy felt a pang of guilt for constantly scaring her brother. Still, how was she supposed to know they were monsters as well? She had been shocked when her parents explained it to her. "Don't be scared," she assured. "You're a monster too. So why should you be scared of other monsters? It's like being scared of yourself. Then again, you're probably enough of a wuss to be scared of yourself," she added teasingly.

"I guess you're right," Randy replied, still looking uneasy.

"About you being a wuss?" Lucy teased.

"No!" Randy snapped.

"It's no fun anymore," she said, gazing out the window. Or at the boards blocking it. "I'm not allowed to go outside or do anything." She had a sudden thought. "Do you think this is how Mortman felt?" He probably had to be extra careful to make sure no human found out he was a monster. And no human had.

Randy tensed up at the mention of the former librarian. "Mortman? D-do you think he's one of the monsters out there?"

"Of course not," Lucy replied, rolling her eyes. "Mom and Dad ate him, remember?"

"Oh, right," Randy said.

Lucy had felt nothing but satisfaction when they did. He had tried to kill her, chasing her through the library. Still, he had hid being a monster, afraid the humans would find out, the same way they were doing now...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy goes to school and tries to convince the kids to join his his gang, before a horrifying announcement is heard.

The next day, Billy decided to tell the kids at school about his plan. He was in high school now. He had been nearing the end of his first term when the monsters attacked.

"Of course," he grumbled. "It's the apocalypse with monsters, and we still have to go to school."

"Maybe they'll teach us self defense," Sheena suggested. "That'd be helpful for the epic monster fighting gang," she added sarcastically.

But they didn't. The classes were the same as usual, though the doors and windows were barricaded and everyone was paranoid and extremely quiet. The teachers were trying to pretend everything was normal. The school was quieter than it had ever been before. If the circumstances were different, Billy would consider the quiet a nice change.

During their first class, English, Billy decided to try to tell the kids about his plan. Todd Barstow was sitting next to him. He was fascinated with butterflies, and spent lunch collecting them before killing and pinning them. Billy thought he was a little weird. Still, maybe he could tell him about his plan.

He started whispering to him. "Todd?"

Todd ignored him, writing something down. He pulled his Raiders cap further down over his face.

"Todd, I wanted to talk to you," Billy whispered, leaning over to him. "You know how—"

"Mr. Deep!"

Billy jumped as the teacher yelled at him. His name was Mr. Saur, and everyone in the class disliked him. Even the usual teacher's pets, Beth Welch and Jackson Stander, didn't like him. He was strict and no fun, and forbid any fun in the classroom. He was very skinny and bald. Billy thought he was as sour as his name.

"Yes, Mr. Saur?" Billy asked, trying to look innocent.

"It's me you should be paying attention to, not Mr. Barstow," Mr. Saur scolded. "You can share what you were saying to him with the entire class."

"Uh... no thanks, sir," Billy said. He heard Todd snicker. He would've liked to glare at him, but didn't dare.

"No, go on," Mr. Saur urged. "I'd like to know what you were saying to him that was so important."

Billy felt himself blushing. "Nothing, sir."

Mr. Saur glanced at him for another moment, then addressed Todd. "And Mr. Barstow, I hope you're taking notes."

That made him stop snickering. "Oh... of course, sir." Billy glanced at his paper, and saw he was doodling butterflies.

Billy breathed a sigh of relief as Mr. Saur continued his lecture. He was scary. He'd have to talk to the kids after class.

Suddenly, he heard a slam and a shriek. Looking to the side, he saw Amy Kramer frantically waving her hand. She had slammed it on her desk.

"Miss Kramer?" Mr. Saur asked, sounding unconcerned. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't scream like that during my lesson."

Billy glared at him. Couldn't he see she was hurt?

"Sorry, Mr. Saur," she said, rubbing her reddened hand. "I hurt my hand."

Mr. Saur frowned at her before continuing his lesson. What a jerk. He didn't even care that she had hurt her hand. Billy was glad none of the teachers at his old school had been like that, though some were strict.

After class, they had recess indoors in the cafeteria. Billy was sitting next to Sarah Maas. She was one of the tallest girls in school, and she didn't have many friends. She seemed a little shy. She was sitting alone, like she usually did. Billy hadn't talked to her before.

"Sarah?" She jumped as Billy talked to her, not looking up from her food. She was surprised he had sat next to her. "Sorry, but I had to talk to you. You know the monsters taking over everywhere?"

"How could I not?" She sounded annoyed at the reminder. Billy couldn't blame her.

"Well, I was thinking... something needs to be done about them." Sarah didn't reply. "I saw a bunch of kids on TV say they had experiences with monsters."

She looked up at that. "Oh, I have too. I..." She trailed off, as if she wanted to say more.

"Well, I know this might sound crazy..." Billy laughed at that. Was it really that crazy anymore? "But I faced monsters before too."

Sarah glanced at him, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah," Billy replied. "Well, not really monsters. I met a mermaid once. I was visiting my uncle, he's a marine biologist. She wasn't a monster, she was friendly. But I had to let her go free in the ocean." He paused, wondering if she would believe him.

Sarah's eyes widened. "She was friendly?" she asked. "You're lucky."

"What?" Billy asked. "You mean, you faced something like that too?"

"I still am," Sarah said. "This ghost girl keeps following me around. I met her at a summer camp I went to. She kept trying to kill me. I thought I was finally free from her, but then she came to my house."

"Wow," said Billy, immediately believing her. It was nice to meet someone who had experienced what he had. "I guess you're right, I am lucky. The mermaid I met was a good friend. But next summer, I met a scientist who made a potion that could make fish huge. My sister and I had to deal with giant fish. That was more threatening." He suddenly remembered Sheena upon mentioning her. He looked around the cafeteria for her, and spotted her at the other side, with her friends.

"Wow," Sarah said, staring at him in amazement. "I was beginning to think I was going crazy. Maybe I was imagining the ghost."

"That's great," Billy said. "I mean, not that you're being stalked by a ghost. But I have one more person for my monster fighting gang."

"What?" Sarah gasped.

Billy was about to explain when he saw Sheena coming towards them with a dark-skinned boy. They sat down next to him.

"Sheena, I told Sarah about our experiences," Billy told her before she could say anything. "She said she met a ghost, and she's still being followed by her."

Sheena's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked Sarah.

"Yeah," Sarah replied. "Her name's Della. She won't leave me alone. She keeps showing up at my house."

Billy turned to the boy with Sheena, who looked surprised by what Sarah had said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gabe," he said. "I was telling your sister Sheena how I met mummies. Mummies that were alive."

"Really?" Billy asked with excitement.

"My uncle and cousin live in Egypt," Gabe explained. "I visit them sometimes. I met the mummies the last two times I visited. There were also humans. Actually, they were probably more evil than the mummies. One was an Egyptian princess."

"Wow," Billy awed. "An Egyptian princess?"

"Yeah. She had a scarab that kept her alive," Gabe exclaimed. "Her brother was a mummy. She wanted to be reunited with them, but he wanted to rest in peace." The idea sounded incredible to Billy. Mermaids seemed normal in comparison. "Anyway, my uncle and cousin are coming to visit in a few days. My uncle's going to help the police get rid of the monsters. He's an archaeologist."

"That's great," Billy said. "But I had an idea too."

"Ignore my brother," Sheena insisted, rolling her eyes.

Billy ignored her. "I have a plan to find all the kids in the city who faced monsters before to form a gang to take out all the monsters. Like, a junior monster fighting gang."

"See?" Sheena asked Sarah and Gabe. "Told you it was crazy."

"What?" Sarah gasped. "But, how? We can't fight monsters. We're just kids. I can barely even deal with Della."

"It sounds far-fetched," Gabe agreed, though he looked less reluctant.

"See?" Sheena told Billy.

"I know it sounds crazy," Billy told them, ignoring her. "But I've seen a lot of kids on TV say they encountered monsters. You two have as well. Gabe, your cousin could join our group when she arrives."

"It sounds like something she'd like," Gabe admitted.

"We met monsters too... kind of," Billy said. "We met a mermaid."

Gabe laughed. "A mermaid? That's it?"

"We met giant fish too," Billy argued. "And a crazy scientist. And we visited our uncle as well. He's a marine biologist."

"We should let our uncles deal with it," Sheena insisted. "They're the experts."

"Our uncles could meet each other," Billy suggested. "Our uncle, Dr. Deep, is helping the police as well."

"Oh, yeah," Sheena said. "How could I forget that? We should let them deal with it."

"It'd be awesome if our uncles teamed up," said Gabe.

"It'd be even more awesome if we teamed up," retorted Billy.

"It would be nice going on adventures again," Gabe admitted. "I miss my uncle and cousin. Even if they make fun of me and play dumb jokes on me."

"I want to get rid of Della," Sarah added. "She won't leave me alone."

"Good. You two can join the gang," Billy suggested. They still looked unsure. "How did you meet the ghost?" he asked Sarah. It was important to learn more about their experiences so they had information about the monsters.

"Uh..." She looked down, seeming slightly embarrassed. "I... I nearly died."

"What?" Sheena gasped. "How?"

"I thought I actually was dead, for a moment," Sarah said, ignoring the question. "I met Della, and she said she wanted to be my buddy. She needed a buddy to go to the afterlife." She shuddered. "I really thought I was dead, like her. But then, I came back to life, and I saw I was back at camp. I was so relieved."

"That sounds horrible," Sheena sympathised. "I'm sorry it happened. But how did you nearly die?" Sarah didn't answer, looking embarrassed.

"Well, it'll be easy to get rid of the ghost," said Billy. "She wants to die and go to the afterlife, right? So she won't mind us killing her."

"She's already dead, moron," Sheena reminded.

"Oh, right," said Billy. "I mean she won't mind us getting rid of her, since she wants to go the afterlife."

Suddenly, they heard yelling from the other side of the cafeteria. A beefy blond boy was yelling at a red-haired boy. Then he reached back his hand and punched him across the face. Billy watched as a brown-haired girl stepped in front of the larger boy.

"Hey!" Billy exclaimed. "That's the boy who was on TV last night. Evan Ross." How could he have forgotten he went to their school? He supposed he was too busy thinking about all the monsters and kids on TV to remember.

"Yeah," said Sarah, wincing. "Conan Barber is at him again."

Billy walked over to them, stepping in front of Conan. He was the school bully. He was huge and tall and looked like a sixteen-year-old, but he was their age. Thankfully, Billy had managed to mostly avoid him. He seemed to have it out for Evan in particular for some reason.

"Get out of the way," Conan snarled.

"Pick on someone your own size," Billy suggested. "It'll be hard to do that. Not many people are as big as you. They don't have as much junk food." He heard several people around him gasp, including Evan. He was surprised by his own guts.

Conan growled, raising his fist to hit Billy, but just then, the brown-haired girl stepped in front of him, and Conan withdrew his hand. He didn't hit girls.

"He's right," the girl said, smirking. "You should lay off the chocolate bars and milkshakes."

Suddenly, one of the teachers came over. The rest were in the teachers' lounge. His name was Mr. Benson, one of the science teachers. He was one of the coolest teachers. He was like the opposite of Mr. Saur.

"What's going on here?" he asked Conan.

"Uh... nothing, sir," he said, sitting back down again.

"Well, I had to check up on all of you," Mr. Benson said. "One of the teachers has to stay here, to make sure nothing happens to you kids. I don't know why none of us decided on that before. What were we thinking?"

"Yeah," Conan agreed, looking disappointed.

As Mr. Benson left to the rest of the room, Billy whispered to Evan. "Evan, come with me."

Evan glanced up at him, then nervously at Conan before getting up. The girl with him followed. Conan glowered at them, but didn't do anything to stop them. He didn't dare risk it after a teacher had nearly caught him.

Billy led them to the table and gestured for them to sit down. "I can't believe you said that to Conan," Evan said. He had a bruise on his face from where Conan had hit him. "I thought he was going to kill you."

The girl giggled. "That was hilarious."

"Evan, I saw you on TV last night," Billy said. He wanted to get to the point.

"Oh, yeah," Evan replied. "I told the police about the monster blood. For once, they believed me."

"I wanted to be on TV too," the girl complained. "I saw the monster blood as well. Why do you get all the attention?"

"Cut it out, Andy," Evan griped. "Being on TV wasn't that exciting. I saw a bunch of other kids there as well."

Andy? Billy thought. Weird name for a girl.

"So did I," said Billy. "There are lots of kids who said they saw monsters. You were just one of them."

"We did as well," Sheena added. "Everyone at this table has."

"Really?" Evan asked in surprise.

Billy saw Amy walk past their table, holding a tray of food. Suddenly, she tripped and fell, the food falling across the floor and her landing in some of it. A few kids laughed, while others looked concerned.

Billy ran over and helped her up. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She groaned, wiping some of the food off her shirt and face. "I'm having a terrible day."

Billy offered her some napkins. "Thanks." She wiped herself before leaning down and wiping the food, picking up the tray.

"Mr. Saur was such a jerk in class," Billy said. "He didn't care that you hurt your hand."

"It's not the first thing that went wrong for me today," she lamented, wiping her face with a napkin. "The world seems to hate me today."

"Tell me about it," Billy suggested. He realised that sounded like he was having a terrible day too. "I mean, tell me how your day was."

"Why do you care?" Amy asked. "I mean, not to be rude."

"I just want to know," Billy said.

"Well, first I spilled milk all over the floor at breakfast," Amy recounted. "Then I slipped in it. I accidentally dropped a glass of water, and then stepped on the glass. And I couldn't find my favorite shirt. My brother and sister aren't having a great day, either. My sister spilled paint in her room, and my brother accidentally cut himself."

"That sounds bad," Billy agreed with sympathy, though he didn't think it had anything to do with monsters.

He suddenly saw Todd, near Carly Beth Caldwell. He sneaked up behind her and placed something in her hair before backing away, stifling his laughs. Carly Beth's friend, Sabrina, turned to her and let out a yell. Carly Beth reached up and jumped when she felt something moving in her hair. She swatted it off, gasping as she saw a bug land in her food. Everyone around her yelled as it scuttled across the table, but Carly Beth didn't, though she gasped and looked grossed out.

"That was mean," Billy told Todd, who was near his table. He jumped.

"It's funny," Todd insisted, snickering as he watched everyone scream as the bug scurried everywhere. Then Carly Beth calmly stood up, picked up her almost empty glass of water, and walked over to the bug which was on the edge of the table. She crouched down and trapped it under the glass, the small amount of water falling on it.

"What's going on?" Mr. Benson walked over. "All this fuss about a little bug?"

"Wow," Billy awed. "She's brave. We should have her in our group."

"She just got rid of a bug," Gabe scoffed.

Once the kids had calmed down, Billy walked over to Carly Beth. "Uh, Carly Beth?" he asked. "I know this is weird, but could you come sit with us?"

Carly Beth stared at him, surprised. "Uh... why?"

"I wanted to talk to you," said Billy. He lowered his voice. "About the monsters."

Carly Beth came over, intrigued. Before Billy could explain, there was a sudden announcement over the school that made him jump.

"Attention, everyone. School is now closed for the rest of the semester. Classes are cancelled for the rest of the day." Typically, such an announcement would provoke cheering, but today there were only confused murmurs. "A girl has been found dead, killed by a monster." Everyone started gasping and talking. Billy's heart sank with horror. "The police discovered her dead body less than five miles away from to the school, in Pitts Landing." Everyone was talking so loudly it was hard to hear the announcement. "The girl's name is Sara Kramer."

Billy saw Sarah jump at the sound of a girl with her name. Amy screamed louder than anyone else. She froze in horror, and tears started running down her cheeks. The girl had the same last name as her. Maybe they were related.

"That... that's my sister," she whispered.

"Oh, God," Sheena gasped.

Billy felt a wave of sympathy for her. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if his sister died, as annoying as she was.

As soon as the announcement was over, there was an uproar. It took a long time for the students to calm down. Everyone was horrified by the information, but none more than Amy. Several of the teachers came in and had to calm everyone down. One took Amy outside. Eventually, everyone quietened until they were just muttering again.

"This is a nightmare," Sheena groaned. "I never thought anyone would die."

Billy's heart sank. He hadn't even known the girl who died, but it was still horrifying that she had. It didn't seem like a game anymore, or a fun idea to form a gang. It seemed serious. Still, it made him even more determined to hunt down the monsters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids decide to set out to find the monster.

Jed remembered the last moment he had spent with his sister Sara. It was the morning before school. Sara had walked into her room and found her books strewn all over the carpet. Then she had accidentally spilled paint on them, which aggravated her. She had accused Jed of touching her books. Well, he had, he admitted. She had yelled at him until he thought his ears were going to fall off, and he had yelled back at her, accusing her of caring about nothing but school and painting, and she had retorted that at least those things were good, unlike stupid jokes and being an annoying brat, which was all he cared about.

It was a stupid fight, and Jed was over it within minutes. But now that Sara was dead, guilt consumed him. The last thing he had said to her was out of anger during an argument.

He regretted every dumb joke he had played on her, every time he had made fun of or annoyed her... well, not all of them. She had some of them coming.

His other sister, Amy, was staying at school overnight. It was too dangerous to leave, though some of the other kids' parents had picked them up. Amy's parents were too distraught to show up. Jed hoped Amy was alright. He didn't want to lose another sister.

He hadn't taken the monsters seriously up until then. He had delighted in scaring his sisters by pretending to be a monster. He wished he could go outside and do things like before. But now, he fully understood the horror and fear. He never imagined someone in his family would die. It didn't seem like a game anymore.

* * *

Carly Beth rolled around in her bed. She couldn't get to sleep. Her parents had gotten to sleep early, like they always did when they were stressed, but she couldn't.

She got up. She couldn't believe a girl had been killed by a monster. She hadn't known her, but it was still horrifying. She had been Amy's sister as well. Carly Beth felt bad for her. To lose her own sister...

She needed to take her mind off it. She got out of bed and wandered to the kitchen. There wasn't much food, since most of the shops were closed and they were too afraid to leave their house anyway. She managed to make herself a sandwich.

Suddenly, she heard someone walking down the hall. She put the sandwich down after taking a bite and tensed. She did that whenever she heard any movement in the house, even if it was just her parents. She peeked her head out of the kitchen and saw a short figure dressed in black standing at the door.

Her heart pounding, she reached into one of the drawers and took out a knife on impulse. She ran down the hall. At the last moment, the figure turned around and yelled, causing her to stop. It was her brother.

"Hey!" Noah exclaimed, glaring at her. "Carly Beth, you nearly stabbed me! What's wrong with you?"

Carly Beth blushed. She had completely forgotten he was in the house too. "S-sorry. I'm just paranoid." She lowered the knife.

"Thought I was an intruder?" Noah asked.

"Kind of," she admitted. "You look like it. You're dressed all in black." He was wearing a black shirt with a black leather jacket and leggings.

"I want to blend in with the shadows," he explained. "You know, like Batman."

"You don't have to," teased Carly Beth. "You're small enough, no one will notice you." He scowled. "Anyway, what were you doing at the door?"

Noah hesitated before replying. "I want to see the monster that killed the girl.."

"What?" Carly Beth exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"

"It was in Pitts Landing," Noah continued, ignoring her. "That's near where she died. It's not far from here. One of my friends used to live there."

"And you were going to leave all by yourself?" Carly Beth demanded. "That's crazy. You could get hurt."

"I'll be fine," Noah insisted. "I'm not going to fight the monster, just look at it."

"And you were going out with nothing," Carly Beth noted. "Nothing to protect yourself, in case the monster saw you and tried to attack you?"

Noah looked down. "Well..."

"At least take this." She handed him her knife.

"What?" Noah gaped at her. "You're not going to stop me? Or tell Mom and Dad?"

"I probably should," Carly Beth admitted. "No, I definitely should. But... I'm kind of curious about the monster too."

Noah grinned at her. "So you're really going to let me leave by myself?"

"No," she said, and her brother scowled. "I'm going to come with you." She already regretted her words.

"What?" Noah gaped at her.

"It's a terrible idea," she admitted. "But... well, I can't let you go out all by yourself. You're just a little kid."

"Am not," he protested.

"You'll probably get yourself killed," Carly Beth asserted. Like the girl, she thought. "I have to come with you."

Noah scowled, but then smiled. "You're really not going to wake Mom and Dad?"

"No, against all my common sense," she said. To her surprise, Noah hugged her around the waist.

"Thanks, Carly Beth! You're the best," he exclaimed. "Maybe you're not such a scaredy cat after all." That was partly why she had decided on this, to prove to herself she wasn't scared. It was a terrible idea, she knew, but she wanted to be brave.

"First, we need something to defend ourselves, in case the monster attacks," she said.

"I brought something," Noah said. He pulled a book out of his jacket. Carly Beth recognized it. It was a kind of encyclopedia about weird creatures and monsters. He had bought it at a thrift store. He sometimes tried pretending to be some of them to scare Carly Beth.

"You think any of those monsters are out there?" Carly Beth asked disbelievingly.

"Maybe," Noah said. He opened it to a random page that showed some kind of green goo. "This is monster blood."

"Hey!" Carly Beth exclaimed. "I saw that on TV."

"See?" Noah pointed out smugly. "The book could be telling the truth."

"Maybe," Carly Beth admitted. "You should keep it. It could come in handy." She saw a sponge-like creature on another page just before Noah closed the book.

* * *

Courtney had been on TV once, talking about the mud monsters. Well, more like bragging about them. She may have told a few lies. She had claimed she had talked the monster down and scared it off all by herself, when she had been as terrified as the other kids and ran away. But she would've done that, if she hadn't been too... scared.

She hated that word. She was never scared. She hadn't been scared when Eddie and his friends tried (and failed) to put a rubber snake in her lunch, or drop a spider in her hair, or set a wild dog on her. But when she saw the mud monsters, she had been scared. She believed they existed, but she never expected to actually see one. She had screamed and ran. Thankfully, Eddie and the others were too scared as well to gloat.

Eddie must've been furious when he saw her on TV. She had gone around town lying about how she had scared off the monster before, which enraged him, but he had still been too scared of seeing them to contradict her. At least she had gotten over the fright quicker than him. She didn't want to admit she had been scared, so she tried to convince herself she hadn't been. She hadn't been scared of anything else, no matter how much people tried to scare her. But being scared of even one thing was hard for her.

She'd prove she wasn't scared of monsters. She'd track the monster down, and defeat it. For real this time. She packed her bag with weapons from her dad's garage, food, and medical supplies. When her parents were asleep, she sneaked out. The bag was heavy, but at least she had come prepared. She'd prove she actually could defeat monsters.

* * *

Lucy couldn't believe a monster had killed a girl. A monster, one of their kind. Well, not necessarily. There were lots of different kinds of monsters. It was in Pitts Landing, which was the next town over from Timberland Falls. That disturbed Lucy even more.

"Mom, Dad," Lucy said. "You could eat the monster. Like you ate Mortman."

"I don't know about that, Lucy," Mrs. Dark said. "The police would probably catch us. Then we'd be locked up."

"Not if you killed the monster," Lucy argued.

"We're monsters too," Mr. Dark reminded with a hint of sadness. "They'd kill us, even if we killed another monster."

"But that's not fair," Lucy argued.

"You could invite the monster to dinner again," Randy suggested jokingly. "And then kill it."

"Or I could," Lucy suggested. "My fangs have started growing."

"Go to sleep, you two," Mr. Dark ordered.

After getting to sleep, Lucy was abruptly awoken. She could hear loud, anguished howls outside. It sounded like a wild animal, but not quite. It was a monster.

Lucy stood up and walked over to her window, white curtains fluttering in front of the boards blocking it. Peering between the boards, she could make out the night sky. It looked beautiful even with the boards obscuring it. The sky was like black velvet, and the stars were sprinkled over it like glitter. But what caught Lucy's attention most was the moon. It was large and pale, and full.

She jumped as she heard another howl, loud and vicious. She quickly backed away from the window. She wanted to investigate what was outside.

* * *

"Monsters have attacked police near Harding Middle School. They initially appeared to be human children, but then shapeshifted into purple monsters resembling lizards, and knocked the police unconscious. Thankfully, none of them were killed, and they managed to shoot one of the monsters."

Sarah watched the screen with horror. Bad enough that a girl had been killed, but now monsters had attacked police near her father's old school. Her father was watching as well, a look of horror on his face.

"Well, at least one of the monsters was killed," Aaron chimed in, trying to be optimistic.

"I'm going to bed," Mr. Maas announced, getting up. "It's been a long, stressful day."

That was a good idea. Sarah went to her room. She remembered Billy Deep's idea to start a monster fighting gang. She had been relieved to find someone else who went through what she had, so she knew she wasn't imagining Della. She had sometimes felt that at Camp Cold Lake as well. The counselors thought she was going crazy after nearly drowning. She had started thinking that as well.

She didn't even wince as Della showed up. Well, she did, but only because she had just heard the reports about the dead girl and attacked police.

"Sarah..."

"Leave me alone!" Sarah snapped, her nerves peaking. "This isn't a joke! A girl died! She was killed by a monster."

Della's expression became shocked. "What?"

"And then, monsters attacked police," Sarah continued. "In my father's hometown. They were knocked unconscious."

"Oh..." Della looked unsettled by the information. "I... I'll leave you alone."

To Sarah's surprise, she did, fading away until the room was empty. She was relieved. At least Della realized how serious it was and that she didn't need a ghost pestering her.

Sarah lay down in her bed and tried going to sleep, but found she couldn't. She tossed and turned even more than usual. She kept thinking about the reports. It was even more unsettling that the murdered girl shared her name. And she thought about Amy, Sara's sister. She felt bad for her.

She sat up. She saw she had forgotten to close the curtains and the moonlight was streaming onto her bed. Maybe that was part of the reason she couldn't get to sleep as well. Her window hadn't been boarded up, though it was tightly jammed. She walked up to close the curtains, but before she did, she paused to inspect the night. It was a lovely night. The moon was full, and the stars sparkled. Across the street were woods. Sarah was always afraid to go there. They were so dark, even in the daytime, and she sometimes heard strange noises from them. She didn't want to imagine how dark they were at night.

Sarah jumped. She thought she could hear howls coming from the woods. She tried going to sleep again, but the noises continued, along with her own unpleasant thoughts. She tossed and turned more before sitting up again. Whenever she couldn't go to sleep, she took a walk outside, or just went outside, and felt sleepy within minutes. But that wasn't possible now.

She headed to the kitchen and had some chips. Suddenly, she noticed the almost invisible door next to the fridge. She had discovered it a while ago. It was a secret passage that led to the front yard. She sometimes used it to escape the house. Her parents hadn't barricaded that door.

Without thinking, she headed over and crouched down, searching for the right square and pushing until it gave away. The little door swung open, and she quickly entered, closing it behind her. She'd come back and go to sleep as soon as possible.

* * *

Some parents had showed up to take their kids home, but some hadn't. There was a huge jumble and chaos, and in the end, some of the kids had to stay at the school overnight. Billy was one of them.

He almost wished there were classes. At least then, it'd be something to distract him. The school was even more boarded up than before. Billy and Sheena were given sleeping bags and were in the art room. But Billy couldn't get to sleep. Neither could Sheena. They whispered to each other, lying on top of their bags instead of inside them.

"I can't believe it," Sheena whispered. "About that girl. And her sister..."

"They should've let us go home," Billy suggested. "She was attacked close to the school. If we were home, we'd be further away from the monsters."

"I'd be too scared to go home," Sheena admitted. Without thinking, she reached her hand out and lay it on top of her brother's. Billy tensed, then squeezed her hand back. He felt a little better being with his sister, despite how much they fought.

Suddenly, they heard sniffling from the other side of the room. Billy froze. He didn't know there was anyone else in the room. He doubted it was a monster. He doubted monsters could cry. Maybe it was Amy.

Sheena seemed to think the same thing. "Should we talk to her?" she whispered to Billy.

"Don't think she wants us to," Billy noted, hearing her cries increase in volume. "But I want to. I feel terrible for her."

"I don't know, Billy..." Sheena said, but he was already sitting up. He picked up the flashlight they had all been given. Shining it around the art room, he couldn't see anyone else, but he could hear the cries coming from behind a shelf of paints. He slowly and carefully made his way over there. Her cries were loud now. He shone the flashlight behind the shelf, jumping as the light shone right on a girl's face.

She stopped crying for a moment, startled by the sudden light. Billy quickly redirected it onto her sleeping bag. "Hi," he said, feeling bad. Even in the brief moment he had seen her face, he had seen the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Sorry. I just wanted to see if you were alright."

"I... I'm... not," she admitted.

"I don't blame you," Billy said. "I... I'm sorry about your sister."

"You know, she loved to paint," Amy reminisced. "I guess that's why I'm in the art room... but I shouldn't have come. It makes me think about her."

Billy didn't reply. He felt awkward.

"I was already having a bad day," Amy continued. "Nothing seemed to be going right for me. Like when I slammed my hand in Mr. Saur's class. But it was nothing compared to this."

She wiped her face. "Mr. Saur used to teach at Pitts Landing, I think. That's where she..." She trailed off.

"I feel bad for the kids there," Billy joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Amy didn't smile. "I don't know how she died. But I think she might have been killed by..." She trailed off.

"What?" Billy urged.

"Nothing," she said.

Before Billy could ask more, he heard footsteps towards the shelf they were behind. A flashlight shone on him and Amy. Billy then raised his flashlight, and relaxed when he saw it was Sheena.

"Sheena," Billy said, "Amy was telling me about her sister."

"Billy," Sheena scolded. "How could you be so insensitive? I heard you two whispering—"

"It's fine," Amy interjected, though she sounded sad at the reminder. "I wanted to tell him."

"She was killed in Pitts Landing," Billy reminded. "You know the town? It's not far from here."

"Well... yeah, I do," Sheena said.

Suddenly, Amy sat up, and when Billy flashed the light in her face, he saw a look of anger and determination. "I want to find the thing that killed my sister," she declared.

"What?" exclaimed Sheena. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened to her, but—"

"I'm serious." Amy cut Sheena off. "I want this... this monster gone."

"So do I," Billy agreed. "I didn't know your sister, but... I've had this idea for a while."

Sheena groaned. "Not now, Billy. Do you have to bring up your crazy idea now? Can't you see it's not the time?"

Billy ignored her. "I had an idea to form a monster fighting gang."

"What?" Even in her vengeful state, Amy looked wide-eyed at Billy.

"You know, the monsters taking over everywhere," Billy explained. "And the kids on TV talking about how they saw them. What if we all teamed up to exterminate them?"

"Big word," Sheena teased.

"If you told me a few hours ago, I'd think the idea was crazy," Amy admitted.

"See?" Sheena asked Billy.

"But, now... maybe it's not so bad," Amy conceded. "If it means I can kill the thing that killed my sister." Billy didn't even like Sheena that much, and if she was killed by a monster, he'd probably react the same way Amy did.

"Let's talk about this later," Sheena suggested. "We should get some sleep."

"How can I sleep after what happened to my sister?" Amy demanded.

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Pitts Landing isn't far from here." Amy cut off Sheena again. "We could make it if we ran."

"No way," Sheena said, her eyes wide. "You're just talking out of grief."

"We could," Billy agreed, causing Sheena to facepalm. "But the window is barred."

Amy glanced over, Billy shining his flashlight on it. The one window was large, and over another shelf. They could climb up fairly easily, but it was blocked with both planks and bars.

"See?" Sheena said smugly. "You can't leave."

"We could find something in here to break it with," Amy suggested. She got up, picking up her flashlight, and started exploring the art room. Billy and Sheena followed her, both for different reasons.

Billy saw Amy standing in front of a painting of a tree, gazing at it. "It looks like something Sara would paint," she said in a melancholy tone. "She was a great painter."

Billy didn't say anything, shining his flashlight over the room. He stopped on the light switch. Should he turn it on? No, he was too scared to. He felt that, somehow, the teachers would notice if he did. He shone the light on a series of drawers in one corner. Maybe there was something in one of those.

"Billy," Sheena hissed, following him. "Are you crazy? I mean, even more than you usually are."

Billy ignored her, opening a drawer and shining his flashlight on the objects inside. He found regular art supplies, including scissors, but he doubted they'd do much good against a monster. Opening the bottom drawers, he found a knife. He picked it up and placed it on top of the drawer. He doubted that'd do much good, either.

"Oh my god!" Billy jumped as Amy yelled. He turned around and saw her crouching over something. He and Sheena walked over.

"Look at this." Amy lowered her voice again, moving away so the siblings could take a look. It looked like a large toolbox, but the items inside weren't exactly garage tools. There were guns, knives, hammers and axes.

"I found it under the floor," Amy explained. Billy noticed there was now a square hole in the floor, stopping at the wall. Amy grabbed the silver handle sticking out and closed it so the handle was against the wall, blending in and seeming like nothing important. Billy had never noticed it before.

"The teachers must've been keeping these throughout the school," Amy suggested. "As self defense from the monsters."

"Wow," Billy awed. "This'll help us a lot."

"Oh, no way," Sheena said. "Put it back, now. We're just kids. We can't handle that stuff—"

"We could use it to break down the window as well," suggested Amy, not listening to Sheena.

Billy extracted a knife and a screwdriver. "Maybe these could work. They wouldn't make much noise."

"You're crazy!" Sheena hissed as Billy headed to the window. Amy had already dragged a stool in front of it. Billy stood on it and forced the knife under the planks. Amy helpfully shone her flashlight onto it. He kept cutting under and between the planks, also using the screwdriver to, until he felt one plank loosen. He placed the tools on the windowsill and pulled the plank with all his might. He succeeded in extracting it, but almost fell off the stool in the process. Thankfully, Amy caught him.

"I'm going to tell a teacher," Sheena announced. She headed for the door, only to realise it was locked and probably barred on the outside too. And she wasn't going to break it down with the tools.

Billy was already working on the next plank. Sheena said, "Well, if you two are going to go out there and get killed by the monster, go ahead. I'm staying here."

Billy turned around, grinning at her. "If we did, you'd cry at the funeral and blame yourself. Oh, why did I let my dear brother die? Why did I say such a horrible thing to him?"

Sheena scoffed. "I might feel bad if Amy died, but not if you did."

Billy rolled his eyes, before turning back to the window. He could hear Sheena trying to pry the door open, with little success. She didn't want to use the tools, since she was scared of handling them. Besides, Billy doubted they could break down a door the same way as a window.

"You know, locking the door to us is a bad idea," Billy remarked as he heard Sheena continue to struggle. "What if we have to go to the bathroom? I guess we could pee in the paint buckets."

"Not funny," Sheena groaned, sounding slightly nauseous at the idea. She started banging on the door, making lots of noise.

"Stop that," Billy instructed, applying the screwdriver to a plank. "People will think you're a monster."

"Then they'll come to see what's making the noise," Sheena pointed out. "And they'll see you're trying to escape. I'll scream, too."

"After they shoot you," Billy retorted as he pried off the second plank. "They won't stop to check whether you're the monster. They'll be too worried and paranoid."

"You don't know that," Sheena argued.

"Really?" Billy challenged, starting on the next plank. "Everyone's terrified of a monster entering the school. And it's dark in here, so they won't be able to tell."

"Then I'll turn on the light," Sheena retorted, picking up her flashlight.

Billy thought quickly. "They'll be in the dark for so long, they'll have trouble adjusting to the light. They'll be confused, and shoot you." He was rather pleased he was staying on top of his sister's logic.

Even though he was focusing on the window, he could tell Sheena was scowling. "I'm sick of arguing with you," she said. "I'll stop banging on the door, just to shut you up."

He heard her pulling the door again. By the time he had pried off all the planks, she had loosened the doorknob slightly. Billy rested his hands for a moment, which were quite sore from all the work they had been doing.

Billy gazed at the now unblocked, but still closed window, light from Amy's flashlight shining on it. He had handed the planks on it down to Amy. He hoped it was possible for them to climb down. When looking down out the window, he spotted a windowsill beneath it, which blocked his view of other things. It was as long as the window, and could probably fit two people.

"There's something below we can stand on," he announced.

"We?" Sheena scoffed.

"Me and Amy," Billy clarified.

"You mean Amy and me," Sheena corrected, ever the know it all.

Billy tried to pull up the window with all his might, but it was tightly jammed. He tried several more times, with the same result. His hands were sore again. He groaned, not keen on using the tools again. He was a future undersea explorer, not a mechanic.

"Let me try," Amy suggested. She had the tools Billy had passed down as well. Billy gratefully stepped down from the school and let Amy step up. She tried pulling open the window, with as much success.

"Give me the screwdriver," she instructed. Billy passed it up to her, and she tried sticking it under the window to loosen it, with no luck.

"Any luck?" Billy asked after a while.

"Getting you two idiots to stop your ridiculous plan? No," came Sheena's snooty voice.

"I wasn't talking to you," Billy snapped. Amy's sister had just died, and she was still more tolerable than Sheena.

"No," Amy replied. "Give me the knife instead."

Billy handed up the knife, shining his flashlight for her. After a while, she announced it wasn't working either.

"What'll we have to do? Break down the window?" Billy joked. He glanced down at the toolbox, finding something inside. "Maybe we could use this." He took it out. It was long, heavy, and curved at the end.

"That's a crowbar," Sheena informed.

"My dad uses those," Amy said. "Give it to me."

Billy handed it to her. She put the curved end under the window and pulled up with all her might. The window went up as she fell. Billy caught her that time.

"It's only open a little," she noted with disappointment.

"Let me try," Billy suggested, taking the crowbar. When he tried opening the window, it took time, but eventually opened all the way. He even managed to remain on the stool. "We did it!" he exclaimed. They were halfway there. Halfway to getting down, not to finding the monster. That would take a lot more effort.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The monsters meet in Horrorland to listen to news and meet each other.

At the other side of the city, the monsters were at a theme park. 

Some had had died or been defeated previously, and the ones who had woke up there, revived. Some were spread across the city. The monsters in the park had all been confused, and tried to leave, but the park prevented them from doing so. There was some force keeping them from leaving. During the day, at least. When they tried to leave at night, they could. But they always found themselves pulled back to the theme park, as if teleported there. The park seemed to think they belonged in the shadows of the night.

The park itself did, as well. It wasn't full of fun and laughter, as most amusement parks, but instead terror and screams. In other words, it was a horror-themed amusement park. The perfect place for monsters.

Today, there was an announcement. A ventriloquist dummy, who had claimed leadership, stood in front of all of them, giving announcements. Some questioned why he acted like the leader, but today, they were too excited about the news he had. Not all of them were there. Some were still roaming various areas of the city, which was fine with Slappy, since they could spread more terror. Previously, his owners had to recite the words to awaken him, but now, it wasn't necessary.

"Billy Deep is forming a gang to get rid of us," Slappy announced to the crowd of monsters and supernatural creatures. His slaves, he liked to think, though no doubt many of them would disagree. "Have any of you met this boy before?"

None of them spoke up. Slappy said, "Well, he must be pretty brave, if he thinks he can get rid of us. Brave and stupid."

"A girl was killed!" one of the ghosts exclaimed, looking disturbed by the information. She was fair-haired with icy blue eyes. The monsters started muttering loudly.

"Ah, yes," Slappy said dismissively. "That too. Actually, I knew the girl. I tried to make her and her sister my slaves. Well, I knew her sister better. We became... good friends." He grinned.

"Slaves?" a lawn gnome spoke up in a high-pitched voice. Slappy would be surprised, but that wasn't even the most bizarre "monster" he had seen. "We tried making humans slaves, once."

"You?" Slappy scoffed. "You're half a human child's size. No, less. How can you make them your slaves?"

"How can you?" another lawn gnome demanded. "You're a ventriloquist dummy! You're supposed to be controlled and used by the humans for their puppet acts, not the other way around."

Slappy bristled, but couldn't deny that. That was why he found it so amusingly ironic how he tried making them his slaves, so he controlled them instead. 

"This girl was killed in Pitts Landing, wasn't she?" one of them spoke up. He was a human dressed all in black.

"I think so," Slappy replied. "Dumb name. If you go there, you've landed in the pits of the city." Nobody laughed.

"I used to live in Pitts Landing," the man said. "Until I was killed there as well."

"What?" Slappy exclaimed. The monsters started muttering again.

"Then I woke up in Horrorland," he went on. "And now, someone else has been killed in that town."

"Did you kill her, by any chance?" Slappy asked.

"No. A child killed me, last time," he said.

"Then who did?" Slappy demanded. "It was a bit of a waste when you could've made her your slave, but I suppose for some, killing her might be just as good."

There was a silence. Some of them shifted and glanced suspiciously at each other.

"Come on," Slappy urged. "I'll even congratulate whoever did it."

Still a silence, though some looked happy about the idea of killing a human.

"Well, I guess it's one of the others roaming the city," Slappy surmised. "Well, I'm sure it'll be found out soon. And that's not all. More importantly, there was also a monster that was killed. Much more important. I should've mentioned that first. What was I thinking?" Everyone started muttering again, more disturbed by this announcement. "By a police officer, I think. Did any of you know him?" 

There was a silence, and then someone spoke up. "We did." It was a scaly, purple lizard-like monster, the size of a human child, accompanied by several others. In fact, there was enough to fill a school. "We are the Creeps. I am the Commander. We attacked the humans in self defense. They were going to discover all of us. They managed to shoot one of us."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Slappy. He decided being nice would make them accept his leadership more. "But you have plenty more friends."

"We must avenge him!" another Creep declared. "We must hunt down and kill these wretched humans." Several Creeps cheered in agreement, except for the Commander, who looked conflicted for some reason.

"Feel free to," Slappy encouraged. "Spread out through the city and track down the humans. Everyone else, do so as well. It doesn't be much less crowded here. Or, if you don't have any business to do, stay here and enjoy Horrorland."

"What makes you the leader?" a red-haired woman dressed in black snapped. "Why should we listen to a dummy?"

"Yeah," one of the lawn gnomes agreed. "Who made you the boss?" Maybe being nice wasn't a good idea after all.

"Be quiet, carrot top," Slappy snapped at the woman.

"Excuse me?" Frowning, she reached her hand out and pointed it at Slappy. Suddenly, his nose started to grow. He let out a cry as it extended more and more until he could see it when he glanced down.

Several of the monsters burst out laughing. "You're Pinocchio!" an Egyptian woman exclaimed. 

"Turn me back. Now!" Slappy demanded the witch. She had to be a witch. One with a sick sense of humor.

She smirked. "Just tell the truth, and your nose will shorten." They burst out laughing again.

"Oh, very funny," Slappy snapped. She was making a fool of him in front of everyone. "Anyway, I don't want to be a real boy. I'm fine with being a dummy." Just then, he jumped as his nose shortened until it was back to its original size.

"See? Told you," the witch smirked. He glared at her.

"She should be the leader," a ghost suggested, chortling.

Slappy started to pity Billy Deep, whoever he was. It must be hard recruiting all the kid brats in the city. Slappy was having a hard time getting the monsters to listen to him. 

* * *

**A few hours earlier...**

Ricky Beamer walked through the town, followed by Jared, Brenda, David and Wart. They were all in human form, by Ricky's demand. It'd make them unsuspicious to humans. Shapeshifting gave them an advantage, as they could look like both the humans and other monsters.

Shortly after the entirety of Harding Middle School had been turned into Creeps, they had received information about monsters being spotted in other areas. At first, they thought it was more Creeps, but the TVs in the school described the monsters as being werewolves, ghosts, witches, ventriloquist dummies, and even lawn gnomes. Then, apparently s girl had been killed by one. Ricky had no idea what was going on, but decided to investigate. He left the other Creeps who used to be students behind at the school, only taking the four he had first known about.

The town was completely empty. When Ricky passed his houses he was tempted to stop and check inside, but kept walking. The other Creeps would get suspicious. He thought about his parents. They had always been busy, and when he told them about the Creeps, they had laughed and mocked him. Still, he wondered where they were, and if they were alright. What would they think when they found out he had turned into a Creep himself?

He thought about Iris as well. He didn't know what had happened to her. She was the only one who hadn't eaten the cookies, knowing Ricky was telling the truth about what they did. He had seen her shaking her head at him, advising him not to do it. He felt a little bad about it. She was the only person in the school, or even in his life, to treat him with kindness. He had kind of liked her. And he hadn't seen her since. Still, gaining power was too satisfying.

They reached the end of the town without spotting any people or monsters. They were standing at a crossroads with a sign pointing to other towns. Suddenly, Ricky jumped as he saw three police officers approaching them, brandishing guns and knives. He was glad they had changed to human form.

"What are you all doing here?" one of them demanded, pointing his gun at them. Ricky jumped, raising his hands and indicating for his friends to do the same.

The police officer lowered his gun. "Sorry. I thought you were one of the monsters at first."

Despite the situation, Ricky bit back a laugh at that. Little did they know...

"It's not safe here," another police officer with red hair said. "Didn't you hear about the monster sightings in this town?"

"What?" Ricky exclaimed.

"Huge, purple monsters," a female officer added. "They look like giant lizards. Several were spotted in this town. We came to investigate."

Ricky's heart sank. Some of the Creeps must've gone into town. Actually, he knew his three friends had. They were in human form, trying to feed the cookies to people, but one of them (Wart, he thought), had transformed into Creep form. Why, Ricky didn't know. Maybe he couldn't stand being human for too long. Then the rest of them had as well, and of course, everyone had panicked and ran away, probably telling the authorities. He thought he even remembered hearing about the Creeps on TV. He mentally kicked himself for not remembering sooner. How could he be so stupid? And how could the other Creeps be so stupid?

"Well, you're not safe here," one of them said when none of them said anything. "You have to get out of town, now."  
Ricky finally found his voice. "You're right," he said, trying to speak clearly. "We were just leaving."

"You're a little late," the female officer noted. "Everyone else left a week ago." Because of us, Ricky thought.

"Well, I'll take you all out of town," the red-haired police officer said. "The rest of us will take care of the monsters."

"No!" Ricky blurted out. At the same time, Jared and David did as well. They remembered the Creeps at school. They were all in Creep form. The officers would gun them all down without hesitation.

"What?" the female officer asked. "Why not?"

"I mean... we're the only ones in town," Ricky explained. "It's just the four of us. Everyone else left."

"Oh, really?" the officer asked doubtfully, glancing at them through her glasses. "You searched the entire town?"

"Well... yeah," Ricky replied. He really wished his friends would give him a hand. It was hard talking to the police by himself. "It's just us."

"Well, I'm glad you're safe, but we really need to search the town," the officer who had pointed a gun at them insisted. "There could be more people who need to escape that you didn't see."

"Actually... there are," Ricky said. "There are other people in town."

"What?" he asked incredulously. "You just said it was just the four of you." Ricky felt himself start to sweat. He imagined this was how criminals on TV felt when they lied to the police.

"Ricky's confused," Brenda interjected. Ricky could've kissed her. "There's more people at our school. It's just the four of us who left."

"Why?" the red-haired officer demanded. "Why'd you leave them behind?"

Brenda didn't reply, not able to think of an answer.

"Because we're cowards," David said, looking down and speaking sadly. "We were worried we wouldn't all be able to leave, so we just left by ourselves."

"Yes," Wart agreed. He spoke in the saddest voice he could manage. "We feel so bad about it." They were good actors, Ricky had to admit.

"It's not your fault," the female officer assured, sounding a bit sympathetic now. "We're all scared for our lives during these dire times. But we'll have to get the others."

"We'll come with you," Ricky insisted. He needed to warn everyone to change into human form.

"We have to get you to safety," the red-haired officer insisted.

"We have to come," Jared retorted. "We feel really bad about abandoning everyone. We have to see if they're okay." They were keeping up the act really well.

The police reluctantly agreed, taken in by their sad act. Ricky snickered internally. He thought the police were supposed to be cold and heartless.

They walked next to the red-haired officer, under strict instruction to stay alert, follow them, and do everything they instructed them to. It was strange for Ricky to be taking orders from somebody else after being the commander. Then again, it was also strange for him to be the commander after being bullied for so long.

"You know, I saw stuff like this before," the officer remarked. "Sometimes I thought I dreamed about it."

"What stuff?" Ricky asked.

"I saw this kid who was as tall as a house," the officer recalled. "No, taller. He was like a giant, but he looked like a kid."

"Wow," Ricky said. He remembered seeing something about that on TV. There was a substance that made things grow, and the kid was talking about how he ate some. He had red hair, like the police officer.

When they reached the school, Ricky's heart pounded, and he said, "Maybe we should go in first."

The officer in front of them turned to him. "Look, I know you feel guilty about leaving your friends behind, but-"

"There's no one else in the school," David insisted. "Trust me, we searched the whole school."

"Some monsters might have gotten in," the officer insisted. "We really have to go in."

"We really want to see if they're alright," Ricky insisted, speaking in the saddest voice he could manage. He wasn't as good an actor as the others, but he could try.

"You'll see once we come out with them," the red-haired officer assured. "I'll stay with you kids."

There was no convincing them. There was no way they'd let four kids enter a school infested with monsters. The red-haired officer stayed behind with them. Ricky watched with dismay as the two remaining officers walked up to the school. Jared, Brenda, David, and Wart started whispering to each other, and then Wart walked next to Ricky, whispering to him. Ricky hesitated, about to protest, but then saw the officers were about to enter the school. He nodded, his heart pounding.

He closed his eyes and started changing into a Creep. He felt his nails extend, his hair withdraw into his skull, his skin become hard and bumpy. He felt kind of sick whenever he became a Creep. It didn't feel right.

He heard the officer next to them cry out, not in surprise, but in pain. He was lying on the ground, clutching his groin, Wart standing over him in Creep form. The officers turned around, screaming as they saw the four lizard monsters in front of them. 

They quickly raised their guns, but Jared and Brenda had already ran forward, knocking the gun out of his hand and starting to beat them. David quickly joined them. Ricky felt kind of sick watching, especially when Wart started further beating the down officer, but knew they'd get suspicious if he didn't join, so he started kicking the officer in the side. Usually such a beating would've left the people badly bruised, but still conscious, but Creeps were a lot stronger than humans. It didn't take long for them to lose unconsciousness.

They stopped when a gunshot ran through the air, making Ricky almost jump out of his skin. He looked over and saw Jared lying on the ground, Brenda and David over him. Ricky and Wart let out a cry and ran over.

There was purple blood seeping out from his stomach. His eyes were closed, but his body was twitching slightly. "No," gasped Ricky.

"Jared!" Brenda lay her hand on his scaly cheek, and David shook him. Wart cried out.

"Is he breathing?" Ricky asked.

"Jared, get up!" David cried, ignoring him. Ricky was surprised to see tears running down the Creeps' purple faces. They really cared about Jared, Ricky realised. He did as well. Watching his friend bleeding out, he felt his heart constrict. It was funny. A week ago, he would've been thrilled to see him die.

"He's not breathing," declared a forlorn Brenda, wiping his eyes.

"But the humans are," said Wart with disgust, glaring at their unconscious bodies.

"We have to get in," Ricky said. "Tell the others."

The others nodded, reluctantly standing up. They glared furiously at the unconscious police officer with his gun still in his hand. David started towards him, but Brenda put a hand on his shoulder.

"Commander's right," she said. "We have to warn the others."

He reluctantly stepped away. Before they entered the school, Ricky glanced back at the unconscious police officers as well as Jared. He felt a pang of guilt. They didn't deserve that. They were just doing their job. But they would've killed the Creeps inside. Still, he didn't like beating them up. Thankfully, they were only unconscious, unlike Jared. Now they needed to warn the Creeps inside to change into humans.

Soon all the Creeps in the school were in human form and walking through town, all enraged by what had happened to Jared. A few of them kicked the policemen's unconscious bodies as they passed, causing them even more bruises. Ricky forbid them from killing them. It didn't feel right. They had just been doing their job, and were frightened when monsters attacked them. He used the excuse that the humans would hunt them down if they found out they killed someone. They were reluctant and vengeful, but had to obey their Commander.

Once they were out of town, they came across someone. She appeared to be a regular woman, if plump and grotesque-looking, but when she turned to them, a smile crossed her lips.

"Well, well," she said, in a deep, hoarse voice. "It's not every day I see so many delicious children to feast on. It's like breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in one! And you don't have to do any exams first." She opened her mouth, revealing four sets of teeth, while Ricky realised with horror that she was a monster. He didn't know what she meant by the least part, though.

"Don't!" he yelled. Closing his eyes, he transformed into a Creep, which gave everyone else the cue to as well. He shuddered. He never felt right doing it.

"You're monsters too?" the woman exclaimed. She sounded disappointed she wasn't getting her meal. "Well, there's one place for monsters. They've gathered there. I just came back from there. It's Horrorland."

**Now...**

"We must act, Commander," Brenda said. "We must turn everyone into the city into Creeps. We must feed them the identity seeds." She was holding a bag of them.

"But how?" Ricky asked. "We don't have any more cookies. And they won't just eat seeds."

"We'll change into humans when we do it, obviously," Wart noted.

"We could put them in something else," David suggested. "Some food humans like. They really liked those cookies."

"Food humans like?" one of the Horrors at a nearby stall said, overhearing. "How about ice cream? All kids love ice cream. Or should I say, eye scream." It was an ice cream stall, though it looked less like ice cream and more like goop. "I've got a special flavor, Cookies and Cows. Like a taste?"

Ricky glanced at the ice cream and wrinkled his nose. No human would eat that. "Uh... no thanks."

"Did you say something about cookies?" They jumped as they saw an old woman talk to them. A very old woman. She had white hair and a withered, wrinkled face. She looked about a hundred.

"Uh, yeah," Ricky said. "We were going to feed them to humans."

"I make cookies," she said. She didn't seem to feel bothered that she was talking to lizard monsters. She was probably a monster too, if she was there. "I give them to children."

"Really?" Ricky asked, doubting it was for altruistic reasons.

She nodded. "Children love my cookies. They have jelly on them."

"Uh, can we ask you a favor, ma'am?" Ricky asked. "Could you make cookies for us? I mean, not for us. It's for kids we'll give them to. We'll add something to the cookies too. A secret ingredient. You could let us add it in. We'd really appreciate it."

She stared at them, considering. "Of course," she said. "As long as you do something for me in return."

"Huh? In return?" Ricky asked.

She nodded. "You have to add to my doll collection."

* * *

Tuttan-Rha had been the first to discover Sara Kramer's body, before the police. She had been lying still and lifeless on the ground. The first thing he noticed about her was her hair. It was jet black, straight and neat and silky. It was beautiful, even in her death. He crouched down and ran his fingers through it. It was perfect. Just what he needed.

He took a pair of shears and started cutting it. He didn't cut all of it off, afraid the police would show up and find him. He must've looked beyond creepy, cutting a dead girl's hair. Once he was finished, he placed what he had cut in his bag. The girl's hair was now above her shoulders, messy and uneven, as if an inexperienced barber had given her a haircut. The hair was perfect. Now he just needed mummies.

He found the mummies in Horrorland. They were lying wrapped up on the ground, groaning and crying out. Tuttan-Rha could make out the words they were saying, the same as the ones he had heard before.

"Let me die... let me die..."

He rolled his eyes. So melodramatic. Their lives couldn't be that bad, could they?

They had been revived in Horrorland, like the other monsters, but unlike them, they wished they hadn't been. At least it was for a good purpose. To keep Tuttan-Rha alive. Yes, they'd keep him alive for several centuries.

* * *

Della had left Sarah alone for once. She had been shocked to hear a girl had died. Well, she didn't have much right to be. She had kept trying to kill Sarah. That could've been Sarah on the news, killed by a monster, her family crying over her...

Della felt a twinge of guilt. She hadn't thought about how Sarah dying would affect everyone who knew her. They'd be devastated if she died. But it wasn't the same, she told herself. Sarah had human friends and family who she had known for years, while Della hadn't seen her friends and family for so long.

They were probably all dead now. Della herself had died so long ago. She wished to join them, to meet them again. They were lucky they hadn't died at camp, so they could easily proceed to the afterlife. They had never returned to Camp Cold Lake. Della had hoped they would, and she would see them again. They were probably too scared and grief-ridden to return to the place she had died.

Della headed to Horrorland, the hideout of the monsters. There was a dummy talking to all of them. The monsters spread out. Some returned to the city to spread havoc, while some remained in Horrorland. Della chose to remain. She hadn't been to an amusement park for so long. She remembered enjoying them when she was alive, though this one seemed very different. It was a horror-themed amusement park.

She passed several monsters on the way, some that freaked her out a little. She must've looked weirdly normal compared to most of them. She looked like a regular girl, not a monster. She didn't think she was one. Were ghosts monsters?

She was surprised when she ran into another human-like figure in the park. Literally. She wasn't looking where she was going, and walked through him. He gasped.

"Sorry," she said, turning around to inspect him. He looked about her age. The few other human-like monsters she'd seen were adults, including the witch who had cursed Slappy's nose. He was as pale as she was, with wavy dark hair and dark, sad eyes. He looked depressed and gloomy. Maybe he was a ghost as well.

"Who are you?" Della asked him. "You're the most human monster I've seen."

"My name's Keith." He had a low, gloomy voice. He studied her carefully with his dark eyes.

"Hi," Della said. "Are you a ghost, too?"

"No," he said.

"Oh... what are you, then?"

"A monster," he replied without elaborating.

"You look pale as a ghost," Della said. "Literally. Uh, no offense."

"Did you hear about the girl who died?" Keith asked, keeping his dark eyes on her.

"Yeah," Della replied, taken aback. "Sa– a human told me about her."

"Really?" For the first time, his gloomy expression changed. He looked intrigued now. "What human?"

"A human I'm always following around," Della said. "She's annoyed with me. She wants me to leave her alone. I did after hearing about the girl who died."

"I followed around a human once, too," Keith informed. "I wouldn't leave him alone either. At least, I thought I did."

"Really?" Della asked.

"I kept telling him I lived in his basement," Keith explained. "I wanted to be friends with a human. I hated having to hide so no humans would see me."

"But you look like a human," Della pointed out. "And you're not a ghost. Can you change into a monster?"

"Yes," Keith said. "But I don't think I should now. You'd be grossed out."

"I've seen all kinds of monsters in this park," Della retorted.

"I think I look even worse than them," Keith insisted. "Trust me, you don't want to see me as a monster. It'd turn your insides out."

"If you say so," Della said. "But the human... did you end up being friends with him?"

"No," Keith said sadly. "He was terrified of me. He had been knocked unconscious and then woke up. He nearly died. The last thing he wanted was a monster following him around after that." Sarah nearly died too, thought Della.

"Let's enjoy the park," Keith suggested. "We might as well enjoy ourselves and take our mind off it."

"Where should we go?" Della asked. She liked the idea. She hadn't been to an amusement park in ages.

"I wanted to go to Chiller House," Keith said. "It's this shop with a bunch of toys and weird stuff. There's an old guy who runs it."

"But we don't have any money," Della pointed out.

"I just want to check out the stuff," Keith said. "It's really weird, but also interesting. Some of it caught my eye. Let's go, before my mother shows up." 

"You have a mother?" Della exclaimed.

"Yeah, and she'll have a fit if she finds out I'm not by her side." Della followed him through the park. They came to a stop in front of a shop which had the sign Chiller House over it. Through the glass, Della could see various strange items and souvenirs on display such as lifelike dolls, skulls, and shrunken heads.

Before she could eye them for long, Keith stopped up to the door and knocked. A moment later, it opened and an old man stood in front of him. He had thinning grey hair, square eyeglasses, and cold blue eyes. He was wearing a suit, vest and bowtie. He looked like a character from an old movie.

"Welcome," he said, smiling at them. Della saw a gold tooth in his mouth as he spoke. "My name is Jonathan Chiller. Have you come to buy something?"

"Uh, no," Keith said. "I just want to look at stuff."

"Come in. I might you something for free." Della and Keith stepped into the dimly lit store. There were aisles of shelves and display cases containing strange items. An entire display of brown shrunken heads, realistic-looking severed hands, skulls hanging from the ceiling, an abacus with eyeballs, plastic snakes... 

In the middle of the store were several mannequins dressed in clothes. The clothes looked very fine, and would've fit an adult. Keith walked up to them. "Who are these?" he asked Jonathan.

"My friends," he replied. "I take very good care of them."

"They're your friends?" Keith asked.

"Yes," Jonathan said. "Very good friends."

"But they're just mannequins," Della pointed out.

"They're my friends," he repeated. "We're the best of friends. I don't let anyone hurt them."

Della and Keith exchanged glances. They were both thinking "This guy is crazy."

Suddenly, Jonathan grew stern. "Don't take my friends away from me."

"Uh... we won't," Keith promised.

"I mean it," he insisted. "Don't try to take them." The way he said it sounded like someone had tried to before.

"Has anyone tried before?" Della asked curiously.

A dark look crossed Jonathan's face. "Don't try it."

"We won't," Keith promised, looking uneasy. "We won't take your friends away."

"How are you friends with them?" Della asked, intrigued now. "They're just mannequins with clothes."

He stood up up, and Della worried he'd get angry. But then he smiled. "They're more than that. They come to life."

"What?" Keith exclaimed. "You mean, they can come to life?" Well, that wasn't too weird, considering everything in the park.

Jonathan nodded. "Yes. I make them." He pushed his eyeglasses up his bony nose. "Everyone should have friends. Do you children have friends?"

"Uh... not really," Keith said. "Well, I tried making friends, once. But it didn't work."

"So did I," Della added. "She didn't want to be friends with me." Suddenly, being friends with mannequins didn't seem that weird anymore. At least this guy hadn't tried to kill the mannequins to make them his friends.

"That's a shame," Jonathan said. "Perhaps you two could be my friends."

"What?" Keith exclaimed. Della looked at him in surprise.

"It's always good to have friends," he insisted, keeping his chilling gaze on them (no pun intended). There was a strange smile on his face. "We could be best friends. Don't you agree? We could play games together." Della exchanged nervous glances at Keith as they backed away. This guy was freaking her out. She didn't want to be his friend. Was this how Sarah felt when she followed her around?

* * *

"Excuse me." Sarabeth turned to the woman behind her. She was dressed in black, like her, but unlike her, she also had black hair. She wore purple lipstick.

"What is it?" Sarabeth asked. She wanted to leave the city to find Kathryn. In truth, she couldn't care less about the monster blood. She had only cursed it to get rid of that irritating boy.

"I couldn't help but notice the way you cursed that rude dummy," the woman said, smirking. "Very impressive. You really put him in his place. Almost as admirable as my magical skills."

"Why, thank you," Sarabeth said, though she bristled at the last sentence. "Is it safe to assume you're a witch too?"

She nodded. "I'm Vanessa."

"Sarabeth," she said. "I guess it must be dress code for us to wear black." She surprised herself with the joke.

She was even more surprised when Vanessa laughed. "Maybe."

"Sorry, but I can't stick around," said Sarabeth. "I have business to do."

"Forgive if I'm wrong," Vanessa said, "but are you the creator of Monster Blood?"

"Yes," Sarabeth confirmed, surprised she recognised her. "Well, not really creator. I just cursed it. And only to get rid of that annoying child."

"You've dealt with annoying children too?" Vanessa asked. "Were they rude?"

"Very," Sarabeth replied. "I heard all his insolent remarks to me while I was a cat."

"A cat?" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Yes. I can change into one," Sarabeth explained. "I can do it right now, if you'd like."

"No, that's not necessary, thank you," Vanessa said. "I have a cat too. Anyway, did this Monster Blood defeat the impudent children?"

"Not exactly," Sarabeth admitted. "Well, it came close. But it didn't consume them, unfortunately. Well, it did consume me. But I'm back now."

"I turned two children into chickens, once," Vanessa said, a smile crossing her face at the memory. "It was very amusing."

"What?" Sarabeth asked, intrigued and amused. "I wish I thought of that. It sounds very creative. Actually, it's fitting. Kathryn always called that boy's father Chicken," she recalled. "Please, tell me more."

* * *

Mr. Mortman wanted to be a librarian again. He quite enjoyed the quiet, peaceful job. He couldn't go to Timberland Falls, of course. Lucy's parents would recognise him. He suspected everyone in town was wondering where the librarian had vanished. He'd pick another town. It was a good thing he looked like a human most of the time. An overweight, sweaty human, but a human.

He regretted trying to kill that girl, but he had no choice. She kept trying to reveal his secret. And if anyone found out, he'd be imprisoned or killed. After her parents had eaten him, he had been revived in Horrorland, along with the other monsters.

It would be hard getting a job at night. Everyone was locked up inside their houses, afraid to leave at night for even a second. The last thing they cared about was going to the library.

Still, he found himself in front of a library, peering through the glass walls. The sign above read "Wheeler Falls Library". He longed to be in a library again. It had felt like his second home before, even if the children weren't always polite. Especially a certain dark-haired girl...

The library wasn't as boarded up as the houses. He supposed the humans thought the monsters wouldn't be interested in libraries. They weren't, aside from Mortman.

He tried the door, but it was locked. At least they had remembered to lock it, unlike him on that day the annoying girl had intruded.

Suddenly, he noticed a plank on the ground. He picked it up and forced it in between the door, but it did nothing. When he jammed it into the door with more force, there was a loud sound, but it still did nothing.

Suddenly, he saw a girl appear, staring at him through the door. He was taken aback. He hadn't expected anyone to be in there. She had blonde hair, and stared at him in fright before gasping (at least, it looked like she gasped), and running back into the library.

"Hey! Miss!" Mortman called. Maybe she could let him in. "Miss, come back! Could you let me in, please?"

She didn't return. Mortman was considering heading back. Was it really worth the effort just to enter a library?

As a last attempt, he hit the plank into the door again, this time on the glass, but it didn't even crack it. The girl returned, now holding an axe, to his surprise. She was still staring at him fearfully, though she relaxed a little. She must've been relieved he wasn't a monster. Or at least, didn't look like one.

"Hello, miss," he said, trying to be casual. "Could you let me in, please? I won't hurt you."

She stared at him. Could she even hear him?

"What are you doing here?" she spoke up. He could hear her, at least.

"What are you?" he retorted. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the library."

"Answer my question," she demanded.

"I used to be a librarian," he explained. "Used to, because I haven't had much of a chance with all that's been happening recently. I'd like to be in a library again."

She just stared at him suspiciously, gripping her axe tighter.

"If I turn out to be crazy or evil, you could stab me with your axe," he suggested. "I won't hurt you."

Still eyeing him suspiciously, she walked up to the door and unlocked it, holding the axe in her other hand. "Don't move," she instructed as Mortman heard the click as it unlocked. She opened the door and gripped the axe on both hands again.

Mortman stared at her. She was a young child. It was bizarre to see her holding an axe. "Now can I come in?"

She nodded as he entered. She quickly shut the door and locked it again. "Who are you?" she demanded, pointing the axe at him.

"You can call me Mr. Mortman," he said. "All children do."

Her eyes widened. "What? Mortman?"

"You've heard of me?" he asked, trying to joke. "I didn't think I was that famous of a librarian."

"I heard about someone with that last name on the news," she explained. "He was a librarian in Timberland Falls who disappeared mysteriously. The police tried to find him, but couldn't. Recently, they assumed he was killed by one of the monsters."

"Must be a coincidence," he suggested. "Someone else with that last name."

"But you just said you were a librarian," she pointed out, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Oh, right." He thought quickly. "That was my brother. I'm not sure where he disappeared, either."

"Oh," I'm sorry," she said. "But what's your name?"

Mortman was suddenly glad he hadn't told her his first name. "I'm... Randy." He used the first name that came to mind.

"I'm Courtney King," she said.

"Would you explain why you're here, Miss King?" he asked.

"I was going to find the monster," Courtney explained. "You know, the one who killed that girl. I wanted to hunt it down."

"What?" Mortman exclaimed. She was either brave or stupid.

"I had a bag with a bunch of supplies packed." She walked through the library, and he followed her. They entered the children's area, and saw a bag tipped over next to a bookcase. He saw packets of food and bandages spilled from it. "I stopped at the library to read. I know it sounds stupid, but I needed a break, and I like books." Apparently she thought that was the stupid part, not going after the monster in the first place. "I pried the plank off the door."

"You must like libraries as much as me," he noted. "What have you been reading?"

Courtney walked over to a shelf with a few books open on the floor below. "These books. It's a horror series called Bonechillers."

"You like scary stories?" Mortman asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Especially ones about monsters. I used to think monsters were real, and now I know they are." Sounded familiar.

"Well, I better be going now." Courtney picked up her bag, shoving the contents back in, and strapped it onto her shoulders. "I have to find the monster."

"Wait!" he called. "You can't be serious. Go after the monster? You're just a child." He might not know any of the other monsters well, but he might as well save one from being killed, even if it had killed a girl.

"I did it before," she said, a smug tone entering her voice. "I met monsters. Mud monsters. Everyone else was terrified of them, but I talked them down and scared them off. They never bothered us again. I was the town hero. Everyone thought I was amazing. Well, except for some people who were jealous of me."

Mortman hadn't tried to kill a human child since Lucy Dark, but now he was tempted to. Her bragging was unbearable, along with her smug voice.

"You'll have trouble killing a monster with that attitude," he pointed out. "They'd get annoyed by your cockiness and kill you first."

She glared at him. "Well, why are _you_ here? Trying to hunt the monster as well? If so, you're even worse than you think I did be. You didn't even bring any weapons."

"Just to visit the library," he said. "That was a stupid idea, I admit, but at least it's not as stupid as yours." He felt like a twelve-year-old insulting another twelve-year-old, but this girl was getting on his nerves.

"At least I'm trying to hunt down the monster!" she snapped. "You're just wasting your time here. Well, I was before, but not anymore." She turned around and walked off forcefully.

Mortman was tempted to try to dissuade her again, but decided against it. Her cockiness would probably get her killed before she could kill the monster. He decided to enjoy the library instead.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter should've been segments with the villains, since the first was segments with the protagonists, but oh well. Too late to change it now. I was going to have Ricky's segment in the first chapter, but technically he's a villain now. Jared dying is a reference to him not appearing in the TV episode. Brent is also similar to Della and Keith, but it'd be hard to include his book. Bonechillers is a reference to a Goosebumps ripoff.
> 
> Also, Stine now owes me a shoutout in one of his books.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids continue to set out to find the monsters. Carly Beth meets one of them that curses her brother.

Carly Beth walked through town with her brother Noah, knives and flashlights in their pockets. She was also carrying an axe from the garage inside her jacket, just in case.

When Carly Beth was young, she hated going outside at night. She thought about what horrible things could be lurking in the dark. And now, she was going out to see one of those things. The irony wasn't lost on her.

Thankfully, the night had been completely still and silent so far, apart from the two of them. But that almost made it more eerie. It felt like a monster was going to jump out at them at any moment. The shadows seemed to be shifting and flickering, as if trying to hide the monsters. But maybe it was Carly Beth's imagination. She was holding a flashlight, but the light seemed minuscule in comparison to the darkness. Actually, it was a rather bright night, the moonlight shining down, but the shadows were dark and ominous.

She jumped as she heard something from overhead. Glancing up, she saw it was an owl. She was almost relieved to see another living thing. It flew over the full moon. That made Carly Beth think of a certain type of monster that made her shudder.

She jumped again as she heard rustling. Glancing to her side, she saw it was the trees, in the faint breeze that had suddenly appeared. She mentally scolded herself. She needed to get a grip. How could she face a monster if she was jumping at every little noise?

Thankfully, Noah didn't make fun of her for jumping like he usually would. She suspected he was scared too, though he'd never admit it.

Carly Beth started walking faster. They had reached the end of the street now. Suddenly, something caught her eye. It looked like a stall in a fair. On impulse, she shone her flashlight on it. It was a stall with purple stripes. She hadn't seen it in town before, though she saw stalls like it whenever the fair came. She gasped quietly as she saw a person sitting inside.

The person turned to look at her. It was a woman. A very old woman. She had white hair, a withered, wrinkled face, and eyes that were kind, but also chilling somehow. They felt like they were boring into her.

"Hello, dearie." Carly Beth jumped as she heard her speak. "I wasn't expecting to see anyone outside." She noticed there were dolls behind the woman. Lots of dolls. They looked very human-like, especially their faces. They each had different expressions, very realistic expressions. It looked as if they were actual faces of people. As if someone very talented had looked at photographs of people while making the dolls.

"Uh, hi," Carly Beth said. "I wasn't, either."

"Do you like my dolls?" the old woman asked, smiling. It was a kind, grandmotherly smile, but something about it made Carly Beth uneasy.

"Uh, yes. They're very realistic," Carly Beth replied. Well, that was true. She wondered what the old woman was doing outside with all these dolls. She wasn't going anywhere like they were.

"I made all of them myself," the woman said, smiling. That was impressive, Carly Beth thought. There had to be dozens of them. And they were so detailed and realistic.

"What are you doing out here?" Noah asked, voicing her thoughts. He was always blunt.

The woman's smile didn't waver. "Such a cute little boy," she said, avoiding his question. "Would you like a cookie?"

"Uh... I am hungry," Noah admitted, though he looked annoyed at being called a little boy.

Carly Beth grabbed his arm. "No thanks, ma'am. We'll be going."

"Wait," the woman said, her kind tone finally wavering. She had taken out a cookie. "Here, young man. Take this."

Noah reached his hand out, but Carly Beth grabbed it. She didn't know about accepting food from strangers, especially now. "No thanks, we're leaving now." Noah scowled at her.

"Well, if you're sure," the woman said, her smile wavering for a fraction of a second before quickly returning. She reached out her old, wrinkled hand and patted Noah's head. Carly Beth grabbed Noah's arm and hurried off. Something about the woman gave her the creeps. But at least she wasn't a monster.

* * *

Sarah stayed outside longer than she planned. She lay down on the grass and counted the stars, like she did with her dad when she was little. Then she closed her eyes. The night was like a dark blanket around her. It calmed her, despite how dark and chilly it was. She felt like she was about to fall asleep outside on the grass, but then she opened her eyes. She couldn't go to sleep there.

She jumped as she heard another howl. Was there really a monster in the forest? She needed to get back inside, now. She felt sleepy enough now. She was about to when she heard a different sound.

It was footsteps. Her heart pounding, she crouched down behind a reclining chair. She watched two figures come walk past the front lawn. She guessed at first that they were police, but they looked fairly short, as if they were children. What kids would be outside at night?

Then one of the figures started stopped walking and started coughing. The taller figure crouched down, crying out in surprise. Sarah heard them talking.

She needed to know what was going on. She quietly inched forward until she was at the edge of the lawn, and when she could see them more clearly, she gasped. It was Carly Beth Caldwell and her brother.

They turned to look at her. "Sarah?" Carly Beth exclaimed.

Sarah didn't reply. She watched Carly Beth's brother cough again, and she turned her attention to him. He looked weak and pale. Why would Carly Beth take him outside when he was sick?

"Noah, what's wrong?" Carly Beth smoothed his hair. "You were fine when we left." When she pulled her hand back, she glanced down at it, a shocked look crossing her face.

"Dolly jelly," he murmured.

"What?" Carly Beth glanced at him.

"Dolly jelly," he repeated, sounding delirious.

"Oh, no. He's really sick," Carly Beth noted, concerned.

"Carly Beth?" Sarah asked in surprise. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know," she muttered. "Oh, we shouldn't have gone out. I didn't know he'd get sick." She glanced at Sarah. "Why are you out?"

"I... I couldn't sleep," Sarah replied.

Carly Beth smoothed his hair again, and when she pulled her hand back, she glanced at it in shock again. "Oh, no."

"What?" Sarah asked.

"There's something's in his hair," she explained. "Some kind of... jelly."

"Dolly jelly," Noah repeated deliriously.

"It's dolly jelly?" Carly Beth exclaimed. "We ran into a woman who patted his hair. Maybe she put that in his hair."

"There was a woman out here?" Sarah exclaimed.

"A really old woman. She had a bunch of dolls," Carly Beth explained. "They were really realistic dolls. She was just sitting there with them. And she was really old. She wanted to give Noah a cookie, but I refused. And she patted his hair."

"And now he's talking about dolly jelly?" Sarah asked.

"I have to find the woman," Carly Beth said, picking her brother up. "Maybe she did something to him."

"This woman... did she look... different?" Sarah asked. Maybe she was a monster.

"No," Carly Beth said. "Well, she was really old." Sarah remembered what she had heard on TV about human children that shapeshifted into monsters.

"Well, I have to find her." Carly Beth started down the street with her brother in her arms, which was difficult since she was holding a flashlight in her other hand. Sarah followed her. She was a little curious about what was wrong with him.

"What are you doing?" Carly Beth asked her.

"I want to know what's wrong with your brother," Sarah said. "Besides, I can't sleep." Well, she couldn't before, but she could now. But hearing about Noah had removed most of her weariness.

Carly Beth didn't argue, too concerned about her brother. "I'll take your flashlight," Sarah offered.

Carly Beth handed it to her. "Thanks."

A while later, Carly Beth spoke up. "You know, he's pretty light. It's easier to carry him than I expected."

"He's just weak because of his sickness," Sarah suggested.

Suddenly, there was another loud howl. Sarah jumped and Carly Beth nearly dropped her brother. Sarah shone the flashlight at the woods across the street, her heart pounding. It had definitely come from there.

"What was that?" Carly Beth gasped.

"It's why I couldn't sleep," Sarah said.

Carly Beth glanced up at the sky. "It's a full moon."

Oh, no. Sarah gazed fearfully at the woods. Realisation dawned on her. "Carly Beth, we have to get out of here. Now!" She turned around and started running, before stopping to look behind.

"I have to fix my brother," Carly Beth called without moving. "You can go back to your house if you want."

Sarah hesitated, then followed Carly Beth. She did want to see the old woman she had described. Besides, her house was close to the woods.

They turned the corner into a new street, and the howls faded. Sarah sighed with relief. Carly Beth stopped. "This is where she was," she announced.

Sarah shone her flashlight around, but couldn't see anyone else. Nothing but houses, trees, and darkness. Aside from them, the street was completely empty.

"She was here," Carly Beth insisted. "I know it. She had a stall, like ones in a fair, with a bunch of dolls."

"I believe you," Sarah said. "But where could she have gone?"

Sarah shone the flashlight at the ground as a last resort, and Carly Beth gasped. She carefully lowered Noah to the ground and crouched down, picking something off the ground. "Look at this."

Sarah came over. It was a doll, as realistic as Carly Beth said they were. Especially its face. It resembled Carly Beth, except it seemed to be a male face.

"That's... that's Noah's face," Carly Beth gasped. "His hair, his eyes..."

Sarah shone the flashlight at Noah's face, then the doll's. They did seem to resemble each other, though it was hard to tell with how sick Noah was.

"Why would she have a doll that looks like your brother?" she asked.

"I don't know," Carly Beth cried. "I don't think she had it before."

"Maybe she made it after seeing him," Sarah suggested.

"That's weird," Carly Beth said.

She glanced at her brother, and gasped. His eyes were closed, and he was lying on the ground, looking even more pale and weak than before. She lifted him up and shook him. "Noah, open your eyes!" He didn't move.

She hugged him to her chest. "Noah, get up," she pleaded.

"Is he breathing?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Of course he is!" Carly Beth cried, as if trying to convince herself. "But weakly. Oh, we should never have come out. I should've stopped him."

Sarah watched with horror. She felt bad for Carly Beth. What did that doll mean? Had the old woman made her brother sick? A horrifying thought entered Sarah's head. Maybe Carly Beth was going to lose her brother.

* * *

Lucy was outside. The howls were louder now, loud and anguished, like an animal in pain. She almost felt bad for it. She knew her parents would have a fit if they knew she was outside, but she had to see what was making the howls. Her fangs had started to grow, so she could defend herself against a monster. She almost laughed at the idea of wrestling with one.

The last time she had spied on a monster, he had nearly killed her. But she wouldn't keep trying to spy like last time, just see it once, to know what it was. Gazing up at the full moon in the sky, she suspected she already knew.

The howls were coming from the woods at the end of the street. She cautiously stepped onto the street, gazing at the woods at the side. She walked down the street halfway before stopping. This was a bad idea. She should head home. Hadn't she learned anything from last time? Well, that time, her parents had killed the monster for her.

She suddenly saw someone from the other side of the street, at the other end, exit their house. At least, she thought she did. Then she heard him calling something. It sounded like someone's name.

Lucy quickly hid behind a tree, her heart pounding. Thankfully, he hadn't seen her, since he was at the other side and end of the street. He walked further down the street, calling loudly.

"Sarah? Sarah? Where did you go?"

He was looking for someone named Sarah. Had she gone missing, taken by a monster?

The boy jumped as he heard howls from the woods. He glanced at the woods across his side of the street. Lucy couldn'r aee him properly, but knew he had to be scared. "Sarah, where are you?" His voice was shaky now.

Lucy watched as he slowly crossed the street and stopped in front of the woods. Was he planning on entering? Did he think this Sarah girl was there, with the howling monster? She watched as he walked closer into the woods. She had to stop him. It was ironic, since she had wanted to go in there.

"Stop!" she cried, running out from the tree. He turned to her in surprise as she ran towards him. "Don't go in there!"

* * *

Alex Hunter was lying awake in his bed, listening carefully. It was a full moon tonight. He glanced out his window at the pale circle in the dark sky. He could barely see through the boards. He couldn't hear anything, either. He had stayed up late, listening carefully, but hadn't heard a single howl. He was confused and a little frustrated. There had to be werewolves outside. With all the monsters roaming outside, it'd be weird if there weren't werewolves, an iconic monster.

He had encountered them before, which was why he was so determined to hear them. His aunt and uncle were werewolves. At least, they used to be. But they weren't anymore, now that they had shed their skins. That was a relief. Still, there could be other ones out there. Maybe he was too far away to hear them. Yes, that was it. There weren't werewolves everywhere. And he was at his old house, not in Wolf Creek anymore.

What was more, he had lost his camera. He had left it outside somewhere, and now he couldn't go out to find it. He had begged his parents to buy him a new one, but of course, it wasn't important enough to leave the house for. Alex supposed it was a silly thing to be upset about, with everything going on. Especially after that girl who had died and monsters that had been attacked. Still, he missed taking photos.

He decided to head to the kitchen to have a snack. He was starting to feel sleepy, so he might as well go to bed afterwards. He opened the cupboards to search for something, and suddenly spotted something at the bottom. Curious, he pulled it out, and gasped as he saw what it was. A camera.

Was it his old camera? Had he accidentally left it there all along? No, it wasn't. His old camera was smaller, and a slightly different color. This was a different one. Maybe his parents had bought it for him after all, as a surprise. Or maybe, he thought with a shudder, someone had broken in and left it there...

No, that was ridiculous. If someone broke in, why would they leave an ordinary camera as a present? He was happy to have a new camera. He felt excited holding it. He missed taking photos. He wanted to thank whoever had left the camera, even if they had broken in.

With excitement, he raised the camera and snapped a picture of the kitchen fridge.

* * *

"I'll go down first," Billy announced.

Below the windowsill was a shed in the school with all the sports equipment and spare supplies. Billy couldn't believe their luck. He swung his legs onto the windowsill, glancing down at the roof of the shed. Gripping his flashlight tightly, he carefully lowered himself onto it, yelping as he slid down slightly. It was very slippery.

"Billy!" called Amy. "Are you alright?"

"It's a bit slippery," he called up. He lowered himself onto his back and slowly slid down. When he was at the bottom of the roof, he glanced down at the ground, shining his flashlight down. Could he jump down?

He shone the flashlight across the roof and saw something peeking up from one side. He carefully edged over and saw it was a ladder. He carefully stood up, yelping as he almost slipped. Then he started making his way down the ladder. When he was on the ground, he jumped up and down in celebration. He could hear Amy calling to him.

He moved the ladder to the front of the shed, climbing it. He flashed the light on Amy staring at him from the window. "I made it down," he announced. "There's a ladder. You should bring the toolbox down first."

He saw Amy disappear from the window, and then return with the toolbox. She looked questioningly at him.

"Just put it on the roof, and slide it down," Billy instructed. "I'll take it."

Amy obliged, and he saw it slide down a while before stopping. He reached one of his arms out as far as he could, tightly gripping the ladder with the other, and could just barely touch it. He rested his upper body and the flashlight on the shed, and managed to drag it down. He left the box at the edge of the roof and climbed down, repositioning the ladder so it was less steep and leaving his flashlight on the ground. He climbed back up and then down again with the toolbox.

He placed it on the ground next to him and climbed up with the flashlight. "You can come down," he told Amy. She looked nervous. "Go on, you can do it."

She hesitantly pulled herself up onto the windowsill, but froze as she looked down at the shed.

"Should I come up?" Billy suggested.

"No, it's fine," Amy insisted. She took a deep breath, and lowered one foot on the roof, squealing as it slid and raising it back onto the windowsill.

"Sit down on the roof," Billy suggested. "Then slide down."

Amy lowered both feet onto the roof and quickly sat down, squealing again as she slid down. She stopped sliding quickly.

"Good," Billy praised. "Now come down."

Amy pushed herself forward until she was in front of Billy. He climbed down the ladder so she could use it. "I'll hold the ladder," he said. "Come down."

Amy turned her body around and lowered herself onto the ladder, making her way down. When she was on the ground, Billy cheered.

"You did it!" he praised.

She looked up the shed. "Should we wait for Sheena?"

"She won't come," Billy said. "We should go before she alerts the teachers."

"I guess," Amy conceded, looking uneasy.

Billy hugged himself, shivering. "Wish I brought a jacket." He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

"Take mine." Amy took hers off, revealing a long-sleeved shirt.

"Oh, no," Billy protested.

"It's fine," Amy urged. "I'm wearing long sleeves." She was wearing leggings too.

"Well, if you're sure..." He would've argued more, but he really was cold. He reluctantly accepted her jacket and tried it on. It was purple, but Billy supposed the color didn't matter. It was a bit big for him, but not too much. "Thanks."

"It's the least I could do, after you helped me down the shed," Amy noted.

"Well, let's go." Billy picked up the flashlight and toolbox in his two separate hands. The latter was very heavy, and he had to hold it to his chest.

"I'll hold the flashlight," Amy offered, taking it from him.

"Thanks," he replied, holding the toolbox in both hands. They started to make their way out of the school, Amy lighting the way.

"Do you know where Pitts Landing is?" Amy asked.

"I'm pretty sure," Billy replied.

After a while, Amy spoke up. "You know that monster fighting gang you were going to form?"

"What?" Billy feared she'd make fun of him, like Sheena had.

"I think you'd make a good leader," she said.

Billy felt himself blushing. "I just helped you down the roof."

"I'd be too scared to do it without you," Amy noted. "And you broke down the window too."

"Well, thanks," Billy said. At least one person believed in him.

Amy spoke up again. "You know, I faced a monster before, too."

"Really?" Billy wasn't as surprised, after hearing about other kids who faced monsters.

"Yeah..." Amy sounded forlorn at the reminder. "It all started when my dad bought me a ventriloquist dummy."

Billy listened as Amy recounted her experience. He had heard about ventriloquist dummies on TV. He thought they'd be one of the more harmless monsters, but listening to Amy, he wasn't sure. The dummy, Slappy, had apparently come to life. One of the things it did was insult her parents, getting Amy into trouble. She had a younger brother as well as her older sister. When she mentioned her sister Sara, she stopped talking.

"I'm sorry," Billy said. "About what happened to her."

"Slappy ruined her room," Amy said. "He broke in and spilled paint everywhere. And Sara thought I did it. She hated me for a while. My parents thought I was crazy when I blamed Slappy. They were going to send me to a shrink."

"That sounds awful," said Billy. He hadn't been through such an experience. Sure, he had nearly died, but at least his family had been with him.

Amy explained how her sister had admitted she knew Slappy was alive, but hadn't said anything. She had admitted she had been jealous of Amy, the same way Amy had been of her. How she had helped Amy defeat the evil dummy, and how they had become closer afterwards.

"Just yesterday, we were having a sleepover," she recalled. "She painted a bunch of monsters. I thought it was funny. She usually paints nature scenes and stuff. But now... one of them got her."

Billy placed his hand on Amy's shoulder as she started sniffling. He expected her to move away, but she didn't.

"Sorry, sorry." She rubbed her eyes.

"It's fine," Billy said. "You've been through a lot. I understand. You know, I faced monsters too."

"Really?" Amy stared at him.

Billy recounted his experiences to her as she listened, wide-eyed. By the time he was finished, they had reached the end of the school. Of course, the gate was barricaded.

"For God's sake!" Billy exclaimed. He was almost considering giving up. Just getting out of the school was difficult, let alone facing the monster.

"Don't worry," Amy assured. "I know a secret way."

Billy followed her to a hidden alley to the right of the fence and walked into it. She shone the flashlight forward. Billy felt like he was walking for ages. Just as the light showed the exit of the school, Billy heard footsteps behind him.

He froze. So did Amy. If it was a teacher, they were dead. He was never more happy to hear his sister's nagging voice. "Billy! Are you nuts?"

"Sheena!" Billy turned around. She was holding two flashlights that made Billy blink from the light they were shining on his face, as well as Amy shining hers on Sheena. "Uh... how did you get down? And find this place?"

"Followed you," she replied. "I actually do care whether you die. I thought I'd come along to stop you two idiots from getting yourselves killed."

"Aw," Billy smirked. "I knew you cared."

"I'm glad you came," Amy said. "I knew this way to get out of the school. I might have slipped out a few times." Billy smiled upon hearing that.

"You didn't," Sheena scolded. Billy rolled his eyes. They were going after a monster, and she still cared about that.

"Let's go," Amy suggested. She quickly hurried out of the alley, out of the school. Billy followed, glad to be free.

They were standing in part of a town, houses on both sides. Billy turned around and saw the alley, and the school a good distance away.

"So... do you two know how to get to Pitts Landing from here?" Sheena asked.

"Yeah. Of course," Billy lied. He had never seen this town before, but he was sure he could figure it out.

"I do," Amy announced. "My sister goes to her art school nearby. Just follow me."

Usually Billy would be annoyed about someone else trying to be the leader, but he dutifully followed Amy. He liked her. Sheena reluctantly followed as well.

Billy wouldn't admit it, but he felt uneasy walking down the silent, dark street. The sound of their footsteps was loud in the silence. Shadows flickered and overlapped, and a few owls hooted, making Billy jumped. The houses all looked like they were haunted. But it was a bright night, the moon shining bright and full.

When they were near the end, he jumped as he saw something heading their way, reaching for his toolbox. He should've made sure they were all holding weapons, just in case.

It was a girl. Billy relaxed. She looked around their age. She had long blonde hair, a bag strapped to her back, and was brandishing a crowbar similar to the one they had opened the window with. That made Billy tense up again.

She immediately lowered the crowbar, shining her flashlight on them. "Who are you?" she asked in a confident voice.

"Uh..." Billy had been expecting to see police if they ran into anyone, not another kid. "Who are you?"

"What are you doing out here?" she demanded in the same confident voice. She didn't seem nervous in the least. "I haven't ran into anyone else."

"Neither have we," Billy said. "You don't look much older than us. Why are you holding that thing?" He knew it was hypocritical to ask since he was carrying an entire box of similar things, but at least it was closed.

"What's in that box?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow. She had noticed.

"What's in your bag?" Billy retorted. Something about this girl's attitude got on his nerves.

"I tried to talk them out of it," Sheena told her. "I told them it was a terrible idea. But they didn't listen."

"What's a terrible idea?" the girl asked.

"We just snuck out from our school," Billy informed. "We had to stay there overnight. There was a girl reported dead close by."

"I heard," she said, her unnerved expression faltering for the first time. "It sounds horrible. She was killed by a monster in Pitts Landing."

"That girl was my sister," Amy informed, her voice wavering.

For the first time, the girl looked shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"So now, we're hunting down the monster that killed her," Amy announced. "I know it sounds stupid, but we have to. She was my sister. And Billy already wanted to hunt down the monsters before. Sheena came to make sure we didn't get killed." Sheena scoffed and crossed her arms.

"I found a box of guns and knives and stuff inside the school," Billy informed, holding it close to his chest. "The teachers must've been keeping it for defense against monsters."

"Wow," the blonde girl said. "What a coincidence. I was going to do the same thing. I snuck out of my house."

"Really?" Billy exclaimed excitedly. Maybe he had finally found someone who liked his monster fighting gang idea. Sheena groaned.

"Yeah," she replied casually, her cocky tone reappearing. "I could get rid of them easily. I faced monsters before, you know. I got rid of them all by myself. Everyone else was terrified of them." Billy knew he should've been impressed by that, but instead just felt annoyed by her attitude. "I had the foresight to hold a crowbar, as well as carrying other supplies in my bag. Why don't any of you have weapons out? It seems highly reckless and dangerous not to. Unless you plan on using those flashlights."

"We don't need to right now," snapped Billy. This girl was worse than Sheena. "We're not in the area the monster was spotted yet."

"You should still be prepared," the girl chided. "Monsters are everywhere, especially at night. I could've been one."

You are, Billy thought. "I guess you're right," he admitted. At least he had found someone who wanted to fight monsters as well. He crouched down and started opening the toolbox. The girl shone her flashlight on the tools.

"Wow," she awed. "That's a lot."

"Yeah," Billy agreed. "Amy found it."

"What's your name?" Amy asked the girl. "I'm Amy, and this is Billy and Sheena." Billy didn't know why it had taken so long to ask for her name.

"I'm Courtney," she informed. "Courtney King." Billy thought her last name suited her. She certainly acted like royalty. "I have some supplies in my bag too. We could share them."

"Good idea," Sheena said. Even she looked a bit annoyed by the girl's attitude.

Courtney opened her bag, revealing kitchen knives, screwdrivers, hammers and nails. "I found most in my dad's garage," she informed. She also had other stuff, like food and medical supplies. Billy noticed a bag of trail mix.

"We're lucky we ran into you," awed Sheena, less annoyed with the girl now. "You really came prepared."

"Geez," said Billy. "We're going to fight monsters, not go on a camping trip."

"It helps to come prepared," Courtney retorted, glaring at Billy.

"Well, the more, the merrier," Billy said. He didn't want to get on this girl's bad side. "This stuff is really useful. We're lucky we met you. I actually wanted to form a monster fighting gang, to get rid of the monsters. You could be a part of it."

Courtney's gaze softened. "Yes, I could fight monsters. I could even be the leader. I'd do a good job leading everyone."

"Actually, I was thinking I'd be the leader," Billy said. "I'm the one who came up with the idea, after all."

"Let's worry about it later," interjected Sheena as Courtney was about to reply, not wanting an argument. "We're really lucky we ran into you, Courtney."

"Yes, you are," she agreed.

"What weapon should we all have?" Billy pulled out a gun, but immediately put it back. He didn't know if it was loaded, but he didn't want it to go off by accident.

"Are the guns loaded?" Courtney asked.

"I don't know," Billy replied. "We shouldn't have them." He had never held a gun before, and was nervous about doing so.

"Well, at least you understand gun safety," noted Sheena. "Not like the others are much safer."

Billy handed Amy a knife and Sheena a screwdriver. He chose an axe. "We all have different ones," he noted.

They made their way down the street again. Billy felt great. There were now four kids in his monster fighting gang. Okay, two were him and his sister, but still. Could four kids defeat a monster? Billy didn't know, but felt they had a chance, as long as they worked together. Plus, they could recruit even more kids later on. He felt more confident now that he had more people helping him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ship Billy and Amy now.


	6. Chapter 6

Suddenly, the door to Chiller House burst open, and a woman entered. She took Keith by the arm. Della was relieved by the intervention, though Keith wasn't.

"There you are!" the woman exclaimed. "I told you not to leave my side."

"Mom," Keith protested. "I was just wanted to check out this store. It's awesome."

She pulled him out of the shop, ignoring his protests, and began one of her infamous lectures. Keith tuned it out, which he had gotten good at. "I was so worried when I couldn't find you. I was searching all over the park—"

"The park's filled with monsters, like us," he argued. She was so unfair. "You told me to stay away from humans, but there aren't any here."

"Even so, the monsters are strangers," she chided. "I don't want you talking to them."

Keith scowled. He couldn't believe it. She wouldn't even let him talk to other monsters. "I was with Della. She's a ghost. And she's nice. We were starting to be friends."

His mother's gaze softened. "Well, I suppose it is good for you to make friends with other monsters your age."

"I can't now, thanks to you," he griped. "You took me away from her." They were standing a while away from the store.

"I suppose you can try making friends with monsters," she suggested. I would if you didn't scare them off, Keith thought. It was so unfair. None of the other monsters had an overbearing mother to deal with, not even the kid ones.

* * *

"I have to go," Della told Jonathan Chiller. She couldn't stand being in the store for one more moment. She quickly left before he could protest. To her relief, he didn't follow her.

Keith and his mother had gone, nowhere to be seen. Della thought about her own mother. She was probably dead now. The thought should've filled her with sadness, but she'd had years to think about the loved ones she left behind.

She wandered through the park again. To her surprise, she saw monsters that looked like runny eggs. At first, she thought someone had cracked eggs everywhere. It was bizarre. Almost as bizarre as the lawn gnomes she had seen.

She saw several rides that she wanted to try. She stopped in front of the Doom Slide. Just then, she ran into three more kids. To her surprise, one was a little boy who looked about five. She hadn't expected to see someone so young here. The older two looked around Della's age. It was a boy and a girl. The little boy was clinging tightly to the girl, hiding behind her legs as if afraid of Della. He was probably shy.

"Hello," Della said.

To her surprise, the children floated up, floating in the air. Della did the same.

"You're ghosts too!" she exclaimed, delighted. She didn't know there were ghosts her age.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, floating back down to the ground.

"I'm Della," she replied, floating down too. "How about you?"

"I'm Sam," the boy introduced. He seemed to be the oldest. "This is my brother and sister, Louisa and Nat."

"Hi," Della said awkwardly. "It's nice to meet other ghosts."

"We haven't been to a park since we were alive," Louisa said with a hint of sadness. "We forgot how much we missed it.

"This park is very different, though," added Sam. It's much larger, and the rides are different." They must've died before theme parks were invented.

"I like parks," the little boy, Nat, piped up. Della felt sorry for him. To die at such a young age...

"Well, let's enjoy the park," Della suggested. "We might as well."

"Most of the monsters are trying to leave," Sam noted. "But we don't have any reason to."

"Neither do I," Della admitted. "Not really."

They decided to try the Doom Slide. Louisa and Nat both went down the same tunnel, Louisa clutching her brother to her chest. Della thought that was cute. She picked the one next to them, Number Seven.

Della screamed as she slid down the tunnel into the fast-moving darkness. It was like falling off a plane while bungee jumping. It was terrifying and exhilarating, but also exciting. It was the first time in a while that she had felt alive.

After a while, she wished the tunnel would end, but it kept going. It twisted and turned, going faster and faster. Then, finally, she saw light at the end and landed on the other side. She laughed as she stood up and smoothed her hair, her heart pounding. She hadn't had so much fun in a while.

She saw Louisa and Nat come out. Nat was crying a little, scared by the tunnel. Louisa hugged him to her chest and patted his hair. They waited a while for Sam to come out. It took him longer, but eventually he did, laughing as well.

"You're lucky none of you picked the Doom Slide," a Horror remarked.

"Wasn't the ride the Doom Slide?" Della asked.

He shook his head. "There are several slides. Only one is the Doom Slide."

"Why is it called the Doom Slide?" Louisa asked.

The Horror grinned. "Because you slide forever." Della stared at him, not sure if he was joking.

The ghosts all left, laughing. "That was fun!" Louisa exclaimed. "I forgot how fun parks were."

"I felt like my skin was going to melt off," Sam remarked.

Louisa shuddered. "Don't say that. It reminds me of last time."

Last time? Della thought, though she didn't ask. She didn't want to be reminded of getting defeated last time either.

They stopped to have ice cream. Or rather, eye scream. It was ice cream in the shape of an eye, but tasted good. Della couldn't remember the last time she had ice cream, either.

She watched as Louisa dipped her finger in the ice cream and touched Nat's nose, causing him to giggle. Then his hand slipped and the ice cream fell off. The little boy's face crumpled and he started to cry. Louisa hugged him and Sam handed him his ice cream.

Della watched the siblings sadly. She wondered what it'd be like to have a brother or sister, instead of a buddy. They'd had each other while they were ghosts. They must've died together.

"Poor little guy," Della muttered as Nat licked his new ice cream. "He must've been so young when he died." She had been twelve, but he must've been half her age.

"I know," Louisa agreed sadly. "We were young too, but we were at least a lot older than him. At least he has us."

"That's the only good thing about dying," added Sam. "We all died together."

"Yeah," Della agreed, unable to keep the jealousy out of her voice.

* * *

"What?" Ricky exclaimed. "Add to your doll collection?"

The old woman smiled. "I'm a dollmaker. I like making dolls. Dolls of children."

"You want us to make dolls for you?" Ricky exclaimed incredulously. How was a kindly old woman who made dolls at this park?

She pulled out a jar of what looked like purple jam from her pocket. Ricky stared at it, wondering what it was. "Yes. You'll all help. The dolls will have your faces. They'll look exactly like you. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Uh..." Ricky thought that sounded odd and disturbing. A doll with his face?

"You'll put a bit of yourself in the dolls," she continued, smiling. "Like all the children who help me make them."

Something about those words told Ricky something was off. "Uh, no thanks," he told her. "Forget what I said about making cookies for us." He headed off and signalled for the others to do the same, ignoring her calls to come back.

"I don't like that woman," Ricky said. "Something about her gave me the creeps. What she said about putting ourselves into the dolls... that rubbed me the wrong way."

"I agree with you, Commander," Brenda concurred. "Who would want to make dolls, anyway?"

"Well, we'll have to find another way to feed them the Identity Seeds," Ricky said. "But we don't have any ingredients to make anything. Do we still have the Identity Seeds?"

"Of course, Commander." David pulled a bag out of his pocket. "We have plenty of bags. Plenty of extras." Ricky had found that out when they had pulled out an extra bag after he had "accidentally" dropped the previous one.

"It wouldn't be hard," Ricky said. "We just need to find a food and hide the seed somewhere they won't see it, right?"

"Yes, Commander," Wart replied.

"Are there any restaurants in this place?" Ricky asked. "We could find food there."

"Good thinking, Commander," Brenda praised.

"I doubt there are any restaurants here with anything humans would willingly eat," David added snidely.

"We can worry about that later," Wart suddenly said. "We need to avenge Jared first."

"Oh, right. How could I forget?" Brenda's eyes flamed with vengeance. "We have to track down the human that killed him."

"How can we?" Ricky asked. "It could've been anyone."

"It doesn't matter who did it, in particular," Wart claimed. "The humans were after us. They wanted to kill us. And they're probably celebrating his death now.

"Yeah!" David agreed. "We should be after all of them. In fact, maybe we should forget feeding them the seeds and kill them instead. We have enough Creeps already."

"No!" Ricky exclaimed, as Brenda and Wart gaped at David. "We have to stick to our plan. We can't kill them."

"You're right, Commander," David conceded. "I was just talking out of anger."

"Still," Brenda added, a vindictive glint in her eye, "nothing says we can't... punish them a little before turning them."

The Creeps grinned sadistically, aside from Ricky. He felt a shudder at the vengeful looks on their faces. They looked like monsters, even in human form. For the first time, he considered whether joining them had been a good idea.

Sarabeth burst out laughing. "They were really turning into chickens?"

"They were clucking and bucking, and I said, 'cluck cluck to you too'," Vanessa smirked.

"Quite amusing," Sarabeth praised. "And creative. I should've done that, instead of cursing the monster blood to kill that boy."

"That was quite talented," Vanessa noted. "Cursing a normal toy to obey you. I have several books on spells. I've practiced a few of them on other children."

"Ah, yes. Children are rather annoying, aren't they?" Sarabeth agreed. "The ones I've met were rude and impudent. That's why I decided to kill that boy when he came to stay." Well, that and so she didn't have to share Kathryn's attention with him. In hindsight, it was a rash idea. She should've just waited until the boy left, and then she'd have Kathryn all to herself again.

That made Sarabeth think. She had wanted Kathryn as a slave. But she wasn't the best choice. The old woman had been batty, even before Sarabeth had made her deaf. She had gone mad after her husband, scientist Dr. Michael Brewer, had left her for another woman. Sarabeth had pretended she wanted to be friends with her at first, comforting her in her grief. She hadn't been the best slave, but she was an easy target. Nobody else had even wanted to be friends with Sarabeth.

Vanessa, on the other hand... Sarabeth didn't want her for a slave. She was a witch too, and seemed talented and powerful as well. She could be... a friend, instead. A partner, maybe.

Sarabeth was listening to Vanessa's story as she thought about Kathryn. Vanessa explained how she had turned the children back into humans after they painstakingly wrote out a thank you letter. When one had burped on her soda without apologising, she had thought about cursing them with "Pig, Pig", but decided against it. That was a little too cruel.

"You sound like a very talented witch," remarked Sarabeth.

"Why, thank you," replied Vanessa. "You do as well. I heard how dangerous the monster blood is."

"What?" Sarabeth exclaimed. "But it isn't dangerous anymore. It's just a harmless toy now. They defeated it by pushing me into it."

Vanessa shrugged. "I guess it must've been revived as well, along with the other monsters."

"I suppose so," Sarabeth replied. "It's nice meeting another witch. You know, we could be very powerful together."

"You think so?" Vanessa asked, surprised.

"Absolutely," Sarabeth replied. "If we combined our powers, we could be even more powerful. I could teach you the spells I know, and you could do the same. Together, we could be a team."

Vanessa smiled slightly. "I suppose so... as long as you don't curse any toys to kill me." Sarabeth laughed.

Fredericks sat in Spear-It Cafe. He didn't want to eat anything, but the place was quiet. The menu looked less than appealing.

"What would you like?" Chef Belcher asked him. "Try our special, Lobster Surprise."

Suddenly, the door opened, and someone else walked in. Fredericks looked up. It was a child. He paused, looking at Fredericks curiously, as if he recognised him. He walked in front of him and stared at him with bright blue eyes. Familiar eyes.

Fredericks gasped. His heart dropped, and then started pounding. It was his nephew.

Yes, it looked exactly like him on the day he died. Same height, same face, same age. But he had his head. Andrew stared at him, also shocked.

"Andrew?" Fredericks asked tentatively. Maybe he had made a mistake.

"Uncle Fritz," Andrew replied, shocked. "Is that you?"

He reached out his hand to touch him, and it went through. "You... you're a ghost!"

"Take this reunion outside," Chef Belcher demanded.

They stepped outside. Fredericks tried to touch his nephew again, but again, his hand went through. "Andrew? What happened to you?"

"At least I found my head," Andrew said, forcing a smile. "Well, some children found it for me."

Fredericks gasped. "You didn't have your head?"

"Didn't you see, in the picture?" Andrew asked grimly.

"I'm so sorry," Fredericks cried. "It's all my fault. I should never have taken that picture."

"It's not your fault," Andrew assured. "It was the captain's. He took my head."

"Tell me what happened," Fredericks urged, feeling guilty despite Andrew's reassurance. It was another person's life he had ruined with the camera. And he had been so young, too. Well, Andrew had been a brat, but he didn't deserve that. If anything, his uncle deserved to have his head taken for all he had done.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids form two groups. One finally sees the monster approaching.

In frustration, Carly Beth picked up the doll of her brother and threw it across the street. Sarah shone her light on it and saw it had cracked in one part, across the painted face.

Suddenly, Noah opened his eyes. They were dull and lifeless, but open. Carly Beth gasped as she looked at him.

"Noah?" She lifted him into a sitting position.

"Carly Beth?" he moaned. "I don't feel good."

"But you're awake!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "I thought you were... unconscious."

"The doll," said Sarah, staring at Noah. "You cracked it."

"So?" Carly Beth replied dismissively.

"When you did, his eyes opened," Sarah noted.

"Dolls?" Noah asked sleepily.

"Noah? What did you mean by dolly jelly?" Carly Beth demanded.

"I didn't wanna be a doll," Noah explained. "Not a doll."

"But you're not a doll," she pointed out.

"But it looks like him," Sarah noted, walking over and picking the doll up.

Noah looked at his doll, and let out a scream. "No! I don't wanna be a doll."

"What?" Carly Beth glanced at the doll. "Yeah, it looks weird to me, too. It looks just like you, doesn't it?"

"I don't think that's what he meant," Sarah griped.

Noah started getting weak again. "No! Don't want to be a doll." He sounded delirious.

"Carly Beth, destroy the doll," Sarah suggested.

Carly Beth glanced down at it. "Yes, I should. Maybe that's what's making him sick. It's making him react badly." She kept throwing it against the pavement until it cracked more. Sarah picked it up and threw it across the street herself. Finally, it split in two, Noah's face now unrecognisable.

Carly Beth lost all interest in the doll and gazed down at her brother, whose eyes had closed again. He moaned weakly. She ran her hand over his head, murmuring softly to him. Then, he opened his eyes.

"Noah?" she exclaimed. "Are you alright? Can you get up?"

"Carly Beth?" His voice sounded stronger now. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked less pale and more lively.

"Noah!" She hugged him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I think so." He stood up. Color was quickly returning to his cheeks.

Carly Beth hugged him again. "You're not sick anymore?"

"I don't think so. But, that doll-"

"I destroyed it," Carly Beth explained. "It's all cracked."

"Good," Noah replied.

Aaron turned around, looking in surprise at the girl running towards him and calling out. She had very pale skin and very dark hair.

"Don't go in there!" she cried.

* * *

Aaron stopped in front of the forest. He hadn't been planning on going in there. He just wanted to hear the howls up close. They couldn't be from a regular animal, no matter how injured or angry it was. He had never heard howls coming from the woods before. It was strange.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I'm Lucy," she replied. "Lucy Dark." Well, her surname suit her. Her hair and eyes were very dark, and so were her clothes.

"I'm Aaron," he said. "But what are you doing out here?"

"Aaron? I have a friend named Aaron," Lucy noted.

"Neat," Aaron said. "I'm looking for my sister. I woke up, and couldn't find her in the house, so I looked outside. She wasn't there either."

"Sarah?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Aaron replied. "How did you know?"

"You kept yelling her name," Lucy pointed out.

"Oh, right. Where is she?" He looked around.

"I'm sure she's not far," Lucy assured. "I'll help you find her."

"Thanks," Aaron replied. "But why are you out?"

"I was... curious about the noises outside," Lucy admitted. "My parents would have a fit if they knew I was outside."

"So would mine," Aaron said. He looked at the woods. "I never heard noises from there before. Well, I did, but not that loud."

Lucy glanced up at the sky for a brief moment before quickly glancing back down. Curious, Aaron did the same, and saw a full moon. It took a second for him to put two and two together.

"Oh, God," he gasped. "Those howls... do you think it's a...?"

"Don't worry," Lucy assured. "As long as we stay away from the woods, we're safe. I'm sure your sister isn't in there."

"I hope not." Aaron quickly started walking away from the woods. Lucy followed him.

He felt more at ease once the howls grew fainter. Lucy started talking. "I have a friend named Aaron," she said again. "He doesn't look like you, though. His last name is Messer." Aaron had a feeling she was trying to keep their mind off things.

"Mine is Maas," he informed. "My sister's name is Sarah." She already knew that."

"I have a brother," Lucy said. "His name is Randy. He's six. Well, seven now."

"He's way younger than you," Aaron noted. He liked talking and keeping their mind off the frightening noises and his missing sister. "My sister's a year older than me."

They reached the end of the street, and turned into the next town. Aaron cried out. He saw Sarah there, with another girl and a young boy.

"Sarah!" he called.

She jumped, turning to stare at him. "Aaron?"

He ran over and hugged her, to her surprise. "Where were you?" he demanded. "I couldn't find you in the house, so I tried searching for you outside. I thought something terrible had happened to you."

"I'm fine," Sarah said. "But something terrible has happened to someone else."

"What?" Lucy asked.

The girl with Sarah was hugging a younger boy, who was struggling to break free of her grip. "Carly Beth, let go. I'm fine."

"That's her brother," Sarah explained. "He got ill. Really ill. But he's fine now."

"Oh, this was a terrible idea," Carly Beth said, finally letting go of him. "We shouldn't have come out."

"It's not your fault, Carly Beth," said her brother. "It was my idea."

"Well, it was a stupid idea," she said. "You could've died!"

"No I wouldn't," he insisted. "I was just sick."

"Because of that old woman!" Carly Beth exclaimed.

"He got sick?" Lucy asked.

"We met this old woman," Carly Beth explained. "She put something in Noah's hair. It made him sick."

"I felt like I was fading away," Noah said in a shaky voice. "Like my... my life was leaving me. And I kept feeling like I'd turn into a doll."

"The old woman had a bunch of dolls," said Carly Beth. "She had one that looked exactly like him. But I broke it." She wandered down the street and picked up the cracked doll, showing it to Lucy and Aaron.

"There was an old woman?" Aaron exclaimed. "What was she doing in the middle of the night with dolls?"

"I don't know," replied Carly Beth. She glanced down at the doll of her brother. "But I think I have an idea."

"Well, nevermind," said Sarah. "We should get back in our houses now. We'll be safe there."

Carly Beth nodded. "Good idea." She grabbed Noah's hand and started dragging him down the street.

"No," Noah protested. "I want to see the monster."

Carly Beth let go of him, staring at him in shock. "What? Are you nuts?"

"That's why I wanted to leave," Noah insisted. "I don't want to go back now."

Carly Beth shook him. "Noah, are you crazy? You got seriously ill! That crazy woman almost turned you into a doll!"

"I know," Noah replied. "But I feel better now. And I still want to see the monster who killed that girl."

Carly Beth gave the others a disbelieving look. "Can you believe him?"

"Wait," Lucy said. "That's why you left? To find the monster?"

"Yes," Carly Beth said. "At least, that's why Noah did. I just came along to make sure he didn't get killed."

"Liar!" Noah cried, punching her in the arm. "You wanted to leave as well. You could've woken up Mom and Dad, but you didn't."

"Okay, maybe," she admitted. "But it was still your idea."

"Pitts Landing is the next town after Timberland Falls," Lucy informed.

"We could make it there," Aaron suggested suddenly.

Sarah stared at him. "What? Are you crazy?"

"I'm kind of curious," Aaron admitted. "I want to see a real monster."

"Our brothers are nuts," Carly Beth told Sarah. "Let's go."

Suddenly, Sarah remembered something. "At school, Billy Deep was talking about forming a monster fighting gang."

"What?" Carly Beth exclaimed. Noah looked impressed by the idea.

"He was about to tell you about it," Sarah said. "He thought you were brave when you caught the bug, and wanted you to join the gang."

"Oh, wow," said Carly Beth. "The idea... doesn't sound bad. I would like to get rid of the monsters. And I would like to be brave."

"I think Billy and his sister are at the school," Sarah said. "Some kids had to stay because their parents couldn't come in time. Amy Kramer, the sister of the dead girl, is there as well."

"Poor Amy," said Carly Beth sadly. "I almost lost my brother as well."

"You didn't," insisted Noah. To her surprise, he hugged her around the waist. "I'm still here."

To Sarah's surprise, her own brother placed a hand on her shoulder. "When you weren't in the house, I was so scared," he said softly. "I thought a monster had kidnapped you."

Sarah remembered how, back at Camp Cold Lake, he had tried to help her, and she had brushed him off and snapped at him. "Thanks for coming out to find me," she told him.

"We should find this monster before it kills more people," Carly Beth suggested. "More people with siblings or parents or friends who care about them. We won't kill it. Well, we did bring some self defense, just in case." She took an axe out of her jacket, surprising everyone.

"Woah!" Lucy exclaimed. "Put that thing away."

"I just want to see what kind of monster this is," said Carly Beth. "What kind would kill an innocent girl."

"What?" Noah asked excitedly. "Are we doing this?"

Lucy felt conflicted. They didn't know she was a monster too. But she wasn't like the other monster, she told herself. It had killed an innocent young girl, and she hadn't. Well, her parents had killed someone, but only after he tried to kill her. So she felt like one of the humans, angry at the monster for taking an innocent young life.

"I agree," she said. "Let's go."

* * *

Alex stared at the picture he had taken, confused. It showed the kitchen fridge, but it showed it destroyed. The top freezer had broken and was crumbling onto the bottom section, the magnets on it were melting, and smoke was emitting from it. Looking at the fridge again, Alex saw it was perfectly fine, colorful and shiny. He glanced at the photo again. It showed the same thing.

He must just be seeing things. Yes, that was it. He was very tired. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He bet when he went to sleep and woke up the next day, the picture would look completely normal. He left the kitchen and returned to his room, asleep within moments of getting into bed.

* * *

Greg Banks crouched behind the Dairy Freeze with his friends Shari, Bird, and Michael. Everyone in Pitts Landing had been forced to leave after the girl killed there, but Greg was curious about the monster, along with his friends. Had it really come to their town? They had snuck back there after their parents went to sleep. They wanted to spot the monster.

Michael was snacking noisily on a bag of chips. The girl had been found dead in front of his house. "I'm bored," he announced. "When will this monster show up?"

"Maybe we should head back," suggested Shari nervously. "I don't want to stick around when it comes."

"It might not even come," added Bird. "We could be waiting for nothing. Maybe it's smart enough not to come back when everyone knows it killed someone."

"Maybe you guys are right," Greg reluctantly conceded. He was more bored than scared now after after all the waiting. "We should go." They were now staying in the next town, Timberland Falls.

"Let's wait five more minutes, and then go," suggested Shari. Greg nodded.

Suddenly, they heard voices, and they all froze. Michael stopped chewing. They heard footsteps. Someone was walking through town. Several people. Greg heard hushed voices. They sounded like more kids. Then they walked towards the Dairy Freeze, on the other side. What were they doing out at night? Greg asked that question both to the new people and himself.

Pitts Landing appeared completely still and empty, like all the other towns they had passed. It looked eerie like everything under the dark night sky, but normal. The buildings and houses were barricaded, but they were in all the towns. It didn't look like there had been a murder there at all. At least, not more than in the other towns they had passed. They hadn't even run into any monsters on the way.

Still, Billy felt uneasy walking through the town, knowing what had happened there. Goosebumps raised on his arms. Crazy thoughts entered his head. He kept thinking he'd find that girl's dead body lying somewhere, still and frozen. Maybe he'd be the next victim. Maybe he'd end up like that girl, lying somewhere still and unmoving.

Or maybe one of the girls with him would end up that way instead. He'd feel even worse if that happened. Then it'd be his fault. He was the one who wanted to come and had dragged them with him. Well, Amy and Courtney did as well. He'd really only dragged Sheena. Still, he was the leader, so he'd feel terrible if he couldn't protect them.

"Billy," Sheena whispered. "I... I'm scared."

Usually, Billy would've felt smug hearing his sister say that, but instead he felt a flash of guilt. She had only come along to protect him, and he had put her in danger.

He almost said "Me too", but instead said, "Don't be. Nothing's happened yet."

"Exactly," Sheena said, her annoyed tone returning. "Nothing's happened. I don't see any monster. I didn't see any on the way, either. Maybe they're taking a break tonight."

"Or maybe it's too early in the night," Amy suggested. She looked the most terrified, being in the town her sister was killed in.

Courtney looked up. "Looks pretty late to me." She hadn't shown a hint of fear entering the town, but her confident demeanor had .

"This is good," Billy said, trying to sound calm. "Very good. We have time to prepare." That was true.

"You're right," Courtney agreed, to Billy's surprise. "I couldn't fight any monster with this weight strapped to my back." She hoisted off her bag with a grunt. Billy lowered his toolbox as well.

"Yeah, but it's weird we wouldn't run into any monsters on the way," Sheena noticed. "Not bad, but weird."

"So what's the plan?" Amy asked skeptically. "How can we prepare for a monster?"

"It's not that hard," Billy replied, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. "We have plenty of weapons."

"We should hide," Courtney suggested, picking up her bag again. "So when we see what type of monster it is, we can pick the right weapons before facing it. How about behind that store?" They were standing in front of an ice cream shop. Billy read the name of it on the sign. Dairy Freeze.

They followed Courtney behind the store, crouching down next to it. Billy lay down the toolbox and opened it, observing the tools. They seemed like a lot, not to mention what Courtney had, but Billy had a feeling that once the monster showed up, they'd all seem useless.

"Now I want ice cream," Billy griped.

Courtney opened her bag and took out a chocolate bar. "Want some?" she asked Billy.

He accepted some. He was really hungry. Sheena refused to have any, Billy thought out of spite, and Amy didn't, probably because she was too shaken by what had happened. He was concerned about her.

"Amy, have some," he urged, handing her a piece. She didn't take it.

"Have some water," Courtney suggested, concerned now as well. She offered Amy her bottle, which she took.

Billy froze. He could hear something from the other side of the store. Everyone else heard it too. Billy felt Sheena tense next to him. Amy let out a quiet cry of fear. Courtney quickly turned off her flashlight. Billy grasped the axe in his hand tightly.

Then, they heard voices. It was hushed muttering. It sounded like a person talking. No, several people. They seemed to be having a conversation. They all relaxed slowly.

"It sounds like a person," Courtney deduced. "Or people. Maybe they decided to hide here as well."

"You're probably right," Billy agreed.

"I'll go check," Courtney announced, turning her flashlight on again. "You guys stay here."

"I'll come with you," Billy insisted. He didn't really want to, but he didn't want to look scared. He wanted to be the leader, not Courtney.

"You don't have to," Courtney said, standing up. Then she froze, lowering her voice. "They can probably hear us too."

That made Billy freeze too. The voices had gone quiet. Whoever it was, they had heard them.

"I'll check," Courtney said, heading past the kids with her crowbar in one hand. Billy stood up, following her, tightly gripping his axe and flashlight.

"If you're going to come, leave your flashlight," Courtney instructed. "I have one, and your hands are too full."

"But your crowbar is bigger," Billy pointed out.

"I can handle it," she replied, though she was clearly having trouble holding it in one hand.

Deciding it wasn't worth arguing about, Billy followed her, still holding his flashlight. He heard Sheena whisper to him, but didn't catch what she said. When they were out in the street again, they scanned the area. Billy couldn't see anyone in the street, but he thought the sounds had come from the other side of the store. He suspected Courtney did as well, but they were both just stalling.

Courtney slowed her pace as she started walking to the other side of the store. Billy quickly glanced at the front door. He suddenly wished he had ice cream. That sounded great. Inside, safe and warm, eating ice cream, instead of hunting down monsters in the dead of the night.

As they rounded the store, Billy was certain someone was there. Courtney raised her crowbar while shining the flashlight at them. Billy gasped. It was four more kids.

Courtney immediately lowered her crowbar. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice unfazed.

They didn't reply, staring dumbfounded at her. One of them spoke up. "Who are you?" he retorted. He had brown hair, small brown eyes, and a big nose.

"I asked first," Courtney pointed out. "What are you doing out here?"

"We... we're hiding," another kid spoke. She was the only girl.

"So were we," Billy said, finally finding his voice. The kids jumped upon seeing him as well. "We came all the way here. We heard about the girl that died."

"So did we," a blond boy spoke up, looking serious. "She was discovered right in front of Michael's house."

"Yeah," said a red-haired boy, looking forlorn. Billy guessed that was Michael.

"We have the girl's sister with us," informed Billy.

"Really?" the girl exclaimed.

"Yeah," Billy said. "She's hiding on the other side of the house, with my sister."

"What are you doing out here?" Courtney repeated.

"Stop pointing that thing at us!" one of the boys exclaimed, even though she had lowered it.

"Maybe we should explain, Courtney," Billy suggested. "We came all the way to your town to find the monster."

"What?" the blond boy exclaimed. The others gaped at him.

"I know, it sounds crazy," Billy admitted. The more into the plan he got, the more he felt nervous about it.

"Yeah," the boy agreed. "But we were going to do the same thing."

"Really?" Billy couldn't help the excitement that crept into his voice. Maybe he had found four more people to join his group.

"We just wanted to see the monster," the girl put in. "We live in Pitts Landing. When we heard there was an attack here, we were curious."

"We decided to meet here to see if we could spot the monster," the blond boy added. "Then we'd hurry back to our houses."

"Oh." So they didn't want to fight the monster. They just wanted to see it. Well, that wasn't bad. They could still join the group.

"But why do you two have weapons?" the dark-haired boy exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Courtney asked disbelievingly. "There are monsters everywhere. I'm surprised you guys don't."

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves," Billy suggested. "I'm Billy, and this is Courtney. I just met her. I bumped into her while heading here."

"I'm Greg," the blond boy said. "This is Shari, Bird, and Michael." He gestured to them all.

"I'm Bird," the dark-haired boy said. Billy could see where his name came from. He looked a bit like a stalk. "The fat redhead is Michael."

"Hey!" Michael protested.

"So you came all the way here just to see the monster too?" Greg asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," Billy admitted. "We came here to... uh, to kill it."

"What?" All four kids yelled out. Billy shhed them.

"We have other weapons," Billy said. "And two other girls waiting for us to come back. They're just on the other side of this store."

"My brother works ar this store," Greg informed. "But he hasn't been able to in a while."

"Maybe you guys should come over and meet the other two," Billy suggested. "It's nice to meet more kids here."

"You're crazy," the girl, Shari, accused. "You think you can kill the monster?"

"That's what my sister said," Billy said. "Just come and meet her and the other girl."

The four kids reluctantly stood up and followed Billy and Courtney. Billy felt pleased that he had done most of the talking. Courtney had just scared them. The other kids had flashlights too. They shone them at Billy and Courtney, and all the combined light made the dark night quite bright.

When they reached the end of the store, Billy signalled for the others to wait, except for Courtney. They went around to Amy and Sheena, and shone their flashlights near them.

"Hey," Billy said. They turned to look at them. Amy looked like she had been crying, and Sheena had her hand on her shoulder. Billy felt bad for her. She must've still been sad about her sister.

"We found more kids," Billy announced. "Four of them."

"What?" Sheena gasped. Amy's eyes widened.

"They live here," he explained. "They just wanted to see the monster. They're right behind us." He turned around to talk to them. "Come on, guys."

The kids stepped around to the two girls. "Hi," Michael said awkwardly as they gawked at them.

"This is Greg, Shari, Bird and Michael." Billy gestured to each of them as he introduced them. "They wanted to see the monster."

"Yeah, but we didn't want to kill it," noted Greg. "Like you do."

"I know, it sounds like a crazy idea," Billy admitted.

"Well, at least it's not as crazy as what Greg did last summer," Shari noted.

Greg glared at her. "Shari, please, let it go."

"What?" Billy asked, curious.

"Nothing," Greg said quickly.

"They need to know," Shari insisted. "It's important, since there are monsters everywhere."

"It wasn't really a monster," Greg argued.

"What?" Billy repeated. It seemed they had met more kids with strange experiences. "What was it?"

"A camera," Bird said.

"A camera?" Courtney repeated in disbelief.

"An evil camera," Greg corrected.

"Tell us about it," Billy suggested.

They listened as the other kids recounted their tale. Billy thought Shari was referring to how Greg kept taking pictures with the camera, but that wasn't it. She had pressured him to take one as well, which she recalled with some embarrassment. Next summer, Greg talked about his mean English teacher, a dark look crossing his face, and how he had written a report about the evil camera. Upon hearing the teacher's name, Billy gasped.

"Mr. Saur?" he exclaimed. Amy and Sheena gasped as well.

"Yeah," Greg said. "None of us liked him. He was the most hated teacher at school." That sounded like him. "But he's moved to another school now."

"We have a teacher named Mr. Saur too," Sheena informed.

"Really?" exclaimed Shari.

"Yeah," Billy said. "Nobody likes him at our school either. He's no fun."

"Is... is he bald?" Greg asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Billy said. "Is your Mr. Saur bald as well?"

"Not at first," replied Grey. "When he had his picture taken with the camera, then he became bald. That's why he moved to another school."

"Good riddance," Bird added.

"He had his picture taken?" Amy gasped.

"Well, I took it," Greg admitted. "He deserved it."

"That's horrible!" Sheena exclaimed. She didn't like Mr. Saur either, but she couldn't imagine doing that to him. Neither could Billy. He frowned at Greg. "How could you do such a horrible thing?"

"He deserved it," Greg insisted. "He really did. Just listen to this. The camera made me... well, huge. It made me really overweight." He shuddered at the memory.

"And it made me really skinny," Shari added with a shudder.

Billy couldn't help but laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"It's not funny!" Greg insisted. "It was terrifying. I kept growing and growing. I could barely fit in my house. I couldn't fit in my chair at school. My dad had to buy a new truck to take me to school. I thought I was going to die. And the kids made fun of me. At first. But then, even they knew something was wrong with me."

That did sound awful. Billy winced thinking about it.

"But Mr. Saur kept making fun of me," Greg continued, an angry look crossing his face. "He made awful jokes about how big I was. How I'd block out the sublight. He wouldn't leave me alone."

"He made fun of your weight?" Sheena asked in disbelief. Mr. Saur didn't even do that with them. Then again, none of the kids were as large as Greg had apparently gotten.

"So can you blame me for taking his picture?" Greg asked angrily. "I wanted him to pay."

"I guess not," Billy admitted. "So that's why he's bald."

"He got off easy," Greg said. "The camera did terrible things to people, but all it did was make him bald. He deserved worse." Billy was surprised to hear the vindictive anger in Greg's voice. He supposed it was justified.

"I tried talking to someone in class today, and Mr. Saur yelled at me," Billy recalled. "Then he yelled at a girl for screaming when she hurt her hand, without caring if she was okay."

"Sounds like him," Greg agreed.

"But how did you get back to normal?" Amy asked. Greg explained how he had asked his brother to reverse the pictures, and then taken the camera to school to get revenge on Mr. Saur.

"I guess I can't blame you," Billy admitted. "I hate Mr. Saur too. Sounds like the same one."

"I'm so sorry," said a sympathetic Greg. "You have to deal with him now. Is he any better in high school?"

"No," Amy said. "He's really strict and mean."

Shari looked at her. "You... you're the dead girl's sister, aren't you?"

"What?" Amy's eyed widened. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Shari said quickly. "That was so tactless. I didn't mean to bring it up."

"It's fine," Amy said, though she looked forlorn at the reminder. "But how did you know?"

"You look a lot like her," Shari explained. "I saw her on the news. I think I even ran into her once. She goes to an art school near here."

"She does," Amy confirmed. "Everyone always says I look like her." She sounded bitter about that. Billy thought she was very pretty. She had straight black hair, dark green eyes (which were usually teary now), and tan skin.

"Your sister... her name was Sara Kramer, wasn't it?" Shari asked.

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "I'm Amy. She was older than me."

"Well, I'm sorry," Shari said.

"I want to find the thing that killed her," Amy announced. "That's why–"

Suddenly, they all went silent. They heard footsteps in the street. They weren't regular footsteps. They were huge and loud amd almost made the ground shake... like the footsteps of a monster. Peeking out from the building, they saw the monster approach, towering over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the short story, Tamara assumes that by breaking the Dollmaker doll, she'll be defeated, but it's possible it makes the people come to life instead, which could be why the Dollmaker is alive. Now there's two groups. I like seeing the siblings caring for each other. The siblings usually hate each other, so it's nice to see them being concerned about each other for a change. Amy mourning her sister, Aaron and Carly Beth being worried about their siblings.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The monsters in Horrorland continue to talk.

The Creeps were holding bags of sandwiches with Identity Seeds between them, one for each sandwich. They had found the most at a restaurant, and they were surprisingly edible. Ricky had tasted one, both to see if the humans would eat it and because he was hungry.

"We can't feed them these now," Ricky noted. "Everyone's asleep."

"Maybe not," David said. "Billy Deep and his group could be out, hunting down monsters."

"Where would they be?" Tasha asked. It made Ricky feel smug to see her as one of his slaves. She had been the worst in the school to him, aside from the original Creeps themselves.

"In Pitts Landing," Ricky replied. "That's where the monster was."

"Do you know where it is, Commander?" Mellie asked. She had been Tasha's editor.

"Well, no," Ricky admitted. "But I know it's next to Timberland Falls. I know where that is. My... I mean, I went there once."

"We could say we were outside to find the monster as well, and offer them the sandwiches," David suggested. His eyes widened. "Oh! I have an idea."

"What?" Ricky asked.

"We could join their group," David said, smiling evilly. "We could say we want to kill monsters too, and gain their trust." the Creeps started muttering, liking the idea.

"We could pretend to be on their side!" Brenda exclaimed. "David, you're a genius."

"Good idea," Ricky praised. "You were good at acting when you fooled the police."

"I think only one of us should be the spy," David suggested. "It'd be hard for all of us to join them."

"I couldn't stand pretending to be friends with those humans," Wart added.

"I'll do it," Ricky suggested.

They all stared at him. "Commander, are you sure?" Brenda asked.

"I could easily gain their trust," said Ricky. "I'll go to Timberland Falls. I'll say I brought sandwiches, and offer it to them. If I don't see anyone, I'll come back here right away."

"Should any of us accompany you?" Tasha asked.

"No," Ricky replied, not feeling too confident. "I'll do this myself. I might not see anyone out."

"Good luck, Commander," the Creeps all said in unison. Ricky shuddered. Could they read each other's minds?

* * *

"That's horrible!" Della exclaimed.

The Sadlers were telling her how they had died. It was during the 1600s, when their parents travelled to America. They had died in the cold on the first night, holding on to each other.

"It wasn't fair!" Sam cried. "We barely had a chance to live!"

"We didn't have a life at all," Louisa added.

"Neither did I," Della said. "But it was my own fault I died. I ran away, and got bitten by a snake while running through the woods. It was stupid of me."

"A snake?" Nat asked, looking horrified. "Was it scary?" Louisa put her arm around him.

"Very," Della replied, shuddering at the memory. "But it was my own fault."

"Don't say that," Sam assured. "You just made a mistake. And I think you paid for it."

"I did," she said. "I wandered the camp I died in for years. The camp I hated. That's why I tried to run away."

"I'm so sorry," Louisa said.

"Don't be," Della assured. "I'm free now. Anyway, tell me your story."

"Centuries after we died, we met our cousins," Louisa explained. "They had our last name. Sadler. We felt lonely, even though we had each other. And we hadn't met other Sadlers in years. We wanted our cousins to join us."

"We even dug graves for them," Sam added. "Right next to ours." Nat started crying. Louisa hugged him close to her.

"And they didn't join you," Della guessed.

"No," Sam said sadly. "Of course, they didn't want to die. We got trapped in a cave at the beach while they left us."

"We were mad at them, at first," Louisa added. "But now, we know we were in the wrong. We had no right to try to take the lives of two innocent children, just because we felt lonely. They didn't deserve to die."

"We didn't either," Sam argued. "But nobody killed us but the cold. We didn't have a chance to live, but we tried to take that chance from two other children as well." He started crying too, and wrapped his arm around his brother and sister.

Della realised she was crying as well. She remembered how she had tried to kill an innocent girl for her own selfish desires. They looked at her, concerned.

"Why are you crying?" Sam asked.

"I did the same thing," explained Della. "I wanted a girl to be my buddy, so I tried to kill her. She was terrified of me. And she was right to be. I kept stalking her and trying to kill her, when she wanted me to leave her alone. We'll never be friends. A good friend wouldn't do that." She wiped her eyes. "I didn't care what she wanted. I only cared that I wanted a friend. But I was a terrible one. I can see now she was right to hate me."

"I'm sorry," said Louisa. "We didn't mean to make you remember that."

"Don't be," Della assured. "Actually, I should thank you. You made me realise I was wrong. I kept following her around, asking her to be my friend. She thought she had finally gotten rid of me."

"And you'll stop now," Sam guessed.

"Yes," said Della. "But not before I visit her one last time. I have to apologise to her."

* * *

Sarabeth cried out in surprise as she felt someone step on the back of her dress. They pulled it until there was a ripping sound. She glanced back and saw a tear down the leg. There was also a little girl. She couldn't be older than eight. There were other children at the park, but none as young as her. She smirked as she saw the tear.

Then, her expression changed. Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked sad and scared.

"You tore her dress!" Vanessa accused without sympathy. "I saw you. Say you're sorry, girl."

"It was an accident," the girl insisted, sniffling.

"No it wasn't," Vanessa said. "You tore it until it ripped. And then you smiled." Sarabeth glared at the girl. What was she going to wear now?

"I don't know how I came here," the girl said, sniffling. Sarabeth could tell it was an act. "This place is so scary. I just want to find my mommy and daddy. Can you help me?"

"Maybe if you apologise for ripping my dress," Sarabeth suggested coolly.

To her horror, the girl burst into tears. Loudly. Sarabeth cringed.

"Stop that wailing!" Vanessa snapped. She didn't. In fact, she cried even louder. Most of the monsters ignored her, but some paid attention.

"Hey, what's wrong?" A dark-haired boy a few years older than her came over.

Her crying abated. "This place is so scary. I just want my mommy and daddy."

"Are you a monster?" the boy asked.

She shook her head. "The monsters are so scary."

"You have to be if you're here." The boy felt sorry for her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be okay. What's your—ow!" He yelled as she stomped on his foot. Sarabeth saw her giggle. What a nasty child.

"What'd you do that for?" the boy demanded.

"It was an accident," she replied, putting on her scared look again.

"It's fine," the boy said. "But—"

"Keith!" A woman approached them. "I told you to stay within my sight."

"But Mom, there's a girl—" He was unable to protest as she dragged him away.

The girl giggled again. "You hurt him on purpose!" Sarabeth accused. "And you ripped my dress."

Immediately, she changed back to scared little girl. It was like an act. "It was an accident."

"It wasn't," Vanessa accused. "Children like you need to be taught manners." She reached out her hand and pointed it at her, muttering something. She just stared at her.

"You're mean," she declared. "I'm leaving."

"What was that?" Sarabeth asked Vanessa.

"A spell to turn her hands into sponges," Vanessa replied. "It works slowly. She won't be ripping anyone's dresses for a while."

Sarabeth burst out laughing. "That's brilliant! She deserves it."

"Now we need to fix your rip," said Vanessa, though she secretly thought Sarabeth's legs looked rather attractive.

"I could do it, if I took my dress off," said Sarabeth, glancing back at her dress. "And I can't here. Or if the tear was in front and I could see it properly."

"Let's go to my house," Vanessa suggested. "It's in Goshen Falls. I have a lot of spellbooks there. I'll show you some. You could fix your dress there."

"Yes, good idea," Sarabeth agreed. "Most of the others have left the park, anyway."

Soon they were out of the park and walking the streets. Suddenly, Sarabeth spotted a newspaper fluttering on the ground. She wouldn't have taken notice of it, if not for the words printed in bold. Revenge R Us.

She reached down to pick it up, trying to keep her dress together, even though no one was around except Vanessa. She stared at it, reading the words. It was an ad for a company. A company that gave people revenge.

"Is there anyone in your life you want to get back at?" Sarabeth read out loud. "Someone who needs to pay, needs to receive their punishment? Someone you're itching to receive karma for all they've wronged you? Come to Revenge R Us. We have all the ideas for revenge you could think of."

Then there was an address. Sarabeth stared at the newspaper disbelievingly. "Is this an actual company?"

"Maybe it's run by witches," Vanessa suggested. "There are some who specialise in spells like that. Spells like wishes."

"Wishes?" Sarabeth scoffed. "Why would any witch bother with granting people's wishes when they could have fun ruining their lives instead?"

"Agreed," Vanessa said. "Besides, I already got revenge on the children who wronged me."

"I want to get revenge," Sarabeth admitted. "Revenge on those who defeated me last time."

"I'll show you to my home first," Vanessa said. "There are a lot of spellbooks there."

"And I need to fix this dress," Sarabeth noted, trying to cover the tear with the black fabric.

When they reached the end of the street, they saw a dark-haired woman in a red shawl and long black shirt. She said, "Hello. I'm so glad to see someone. Could you two show me the way, please? I'm a little lost."

"No time," said Sarabeth. "We're busy."

"Please," she pleaded. "It'd be very kind of you."

"We're too busy heading to Goshen Falls," Vanessa said. "Get someone else to show you."

Sarabeth noticed she was staring at the rip in her dress. "Your dress is torn."

"I noticed," Sarabeth snapped, annoyed she had noticed. "I'd like to fix it. Now can you get out of the way?"

"I could fix it for you," she suggested.

Sarabeth scoffed. "How? Do you have a needle and thread on hand?"

"I could, if you wished for it," the woman said, lowering her voice.

"Wished for it?" Vanessa demanded. "What do you mean?"

"But I'll only grant you the wishes if you do something for me," the woman said, in a cold voice. "And you clearly don't want to. And you can't do it now, since if I tell you that, it won't work."

"Wait!" exclaimed Vanessa. "Wishes? Are you a witch?"

She looked slightly surprised. "Yes. My name is Clarissa. How did you know?"

"We're witches too," Sarabeth informed. "I'm Sarabeth, and this is Vanessa."

"Oh!" Clarissa gasped. "I should've known. You're both dressed in black. I guess that means I can't grant you wishes."

"Oh, you're one of those witches," said Vanessa with a hint of derision. "Granting people wishes? You could use your powers for something better."

"I want to help people," Clarissa argued. "But my powers aren't very strong. I've messed up people's wishes."

"Our powers are strong," said Sarabeth. "I cursed the Monster Blood and made a woman deaf, and Vanessa just cursed the child who ripped my dress." Clarissa looked disturbed by that.

"And I cursed other children," added Vanessa. "I have several spellbooks at my home. We were just heading there."

"You sound like powerful witches," said Clarissa with a hint of envy. "I wish I was."

"You could be, if you joined us," Sarabeth suggested. Maybe she could be useful. The more witches, the better. "We could teach you to be powerful."

"Really?" Clarissa smiled. "That's very kind of you. I haven't met another witch in years."

"We were just heading to my house," said Vanessa. "Join us."

The three witches headed off, their black dresses fluttering in the wind.

* * *

"You spent years in a house too?" asked Andrew.

"I deserved it," replied Fredericks. "It was my choice, anyway. It was an abandoned house. At least there, nobody knew who I was, or what I had done. I was the town hermit."

"I guess I deserved my fate too," said Andrew.

Fredericks gasped. "Heavens no, Andrew! You were only a child."

"A terrible child," Andrew pointed out. "Don't you remember how nasty I was?"

"All children are like that," Fredericks said. "You didn't deserve that fate. You didn't take any pictures, or ruin anyone's life."

"Well, I had years to think about what a horrid little brat I was," said Andrew. "I wished I was nicer in my life. I don't even know if they really mourned me."

"I did!" Fredericks insisted. "I was shocked and guilty when I found out you went missing." Well, admittedly, he felt worse about taking the picture than what had happened to his nephew.

"Enjoy the park," Fredericks suggested, not wanting to dwell on the past. "It is an amusement park for children. You might as well have fun."

"I saw some other ghosts as well," said Andrew. "They looked around my age. I could talk to them."

"Yes, go on," Fredericks urged. "There are other ghosts? What causes them to become ghosts? Most people don't after dying. Why do some, such as you, come back? Do you have to die a certain way? Please, ask them."

Andrew laughed. "Once a scientist, always a scientist."

* * *

Tuttan-Rha saw a dark-haired woman approach. Something about her was familiar, though he was sure they'd never met before. She looked like an Egyptian as well. She wore a necklace around her neck. She didn't even seem to notice him, too focused on the mummies. She glanced over them and stopped in front of one. Upon seeing her, he started moaning even louder.

A smile crossed her face. "Come, my brother. Let us rule Egypt once more." His moaning almost drowned out her words.

"Who are you?" Tuttan-Rha demanded, confused. She was another Egyptian, he was sure of it.

She turned to him. "I am Princess Nila."

"Princess?" Tuttan-Rha exclaimed. "I am a king. King Tuttan-Rha."

"You're an Egyptian too?" she asked, slightly surprised. The mummy's moaning subsided, apparently relieved by his apparent sister turning her attention off him.

"I am thousands of years old," he explained. "I discovered the secret to immortality."

"So did I," Nila said. Tuttan-Rha was surprised to discover someone like him. "It's my necklace." She reached up to touch it. He noticed there was some kind of beetle trapped inside. "Do you have one as well?"

"No. I use the mummies," he explained. "They keep me alive. But I need to do something special with them."

"What?" Nila urged.

"I eat their insides," Tuttan-Rha explained. "It kept me alive for centuries. But I also need something else to keep their insides fresh." He was expecting her to look grossed out, but she didn't even flinch.

"I need one of the mummies as well," she said. "My brother, Prince Kho-Ru. Then we can rule Egypt together."

"But we're not in Egypt," he pointed out.

"Oh, yes," she said. "Too bad. I don't see how I can travel there." She bent down and touched the mummy's face, causing him to moan. "Don't eat my brother's insides. I want him alive." Judging from his moaning, he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like the witches meeting. I think there should be groups of the different monsters. The ghosts, werewolves, etc. The other ghosts could meet Della and the Sadlers as well, including Andrew. Know who the little girl was? I think she's the one kid who deserves to be cursed by Vanessa. I like Spidey and Andrew being related. It's also mentioned that Kathryn's husband was Dr. Michael Brewer. She has a bunch of science books in her house. Ricky will turn on the Creeps eventually. I hope the section with Della and the Sadlers was heartwrenching enough. They should meet other ghosts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids try to fight the monster.

Jordan Blake had stayed awake late into the night, but even if he hadn't, he would've been woken now. He could hear loud, thumping sounds outside. They were almost deafening. Jordan was sure they were making the ground outside shake. They sounded like giant footsteps. The footsteps of a monster.

He was scared, but also slightly excited. He had never had a monster pass his area before. He walked to his window and forced the planks apart, peeking through. When he saw what the monster was, his heart dropped. It couldn't be...

He had sworn not to go outside, but he had to. Just to see the monster again. Then he'd come back inside. He thought about telling his sister Nicole, but she'd probably try to stop him or tell their dad, being the goody-two-shoes she was. Even if he just told her about the monster, she'd probably guess he wanted to go out. He slipped on his jacket and left his room.

As he headed down the stairs, the last step freaked noisily. He froze. He headed to the front door and paused. The footsteps were further away now, sounding muffled. He hadn't to go before he left. He removed the planks on the door, which was easy to do from the inside, and unlocked it as quietly as possible before stepping out. 

Looking around, his heart dropped as he saw the monster at the end of the street, leaving, his footsteps echoing. Jordan could only see his retreating back.

He stared frozen for a few moments. He knew he should go back inside, but he felt the need to follow him. He ran down the street, though by now, the monster had left. Suddenly, he heard more footsteps behind him.

He turned around and saw his sister. "Nicole!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was woken by the footsteps outside," she said. "And I went to your room to tell you, but you weren't there. So, of course, I guessed that you went outside."

"Did you see what the monster was?" Jordan demanded.

"Yes. I saw," Nicole replied. "But we should go back inside."

"No way!" Jordan exclaimed. "I haven't seen him in ages. I'd like to again." Before she could argue, he added, "Besides, he wasn't that bad, remember? When we met him, he was pretty much harmless. He even saved your life."

"Yes. He was fairly benign," Nicole admitted. She liked using big words. "Still..."

"Let's follow him," Jordan suggested. They could still hear his muffled footsteps, though they were rapidly fading. "Before we cam't hear him anymore. If you want to stay, I'll go." He started running again.

"Wait!" Nicole called, following him. "Fine, I'll come too. I do kind of want to see him again. But if Dad finds out we left the house, I'm blaming you."

The siblings followed the sound of the footsteps. Soon, the monster came into view. Jordan had a feeling he knew where he was trying to go. Unfortunately, it was a long distance away.

* * *

Lucy told the others about herself as they walked, leaving out the little detail that she was a monster. She told them about her encounter with Mr. Mortman, though, since they had told each other their past experiences with monsters, consisting of ghosts and evil masks. They recognised Mortman's name.

"Mortman?" Carly Beth gasped. "I heard about him. He was the librarian who went missing from Timberland Falls."

"Yeah, it was on the news," Sarah added. "That was before I moved here."

"We moved here recently too," said Carly Beth. She kept trying to grasp her brother Noah's hand, but he kept jerking away.

"So that's why I haven't seen you before," said Lucy. "Well, I know why he went missing. My parents a– er... killed him."

"What?" Aaron gasped. Carly Beth and Sarah stared at her, wide-eyed.

"I told you, he was a monster," Lucy argued. "And he kept trying to kill me. They had no choice but to kill him."

"And the police didn't find out?" Carly Beth demanded.

"No," Lucy replied. "What could we tell them? That we killed him because he was actually a monster? Like they'd believe that." Well, no one had believed her when she tried telling them he was a monster.

"Well, they will now," said Aaron.

"I heard a report on TV," Sarah suddenly said. "There was another monster attack. They attacked the police, and luckily, the police managed to kill one of them."

"What?" they all shouted except for Aaron.

"You didn't know?" Sarah asked.

"I didn't want to watch the news more after the girl that died," Carly Beth said.

"Neither did I," added Lucy.

"And what's more, it was near our dad's school he went to as a kid," Aaron added.

Carly Beth gasped. "Oh, God. Well, at least one of the monsters died."

"Yeah, that's good," added Lucy, though she looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Maybe we should try going to the school instead," suggested Aaron.

"We don't even know where it is," Sarah pointed out.

"What school is it?" asked Carly Beth.

"Harding Middle School," replied Sarah.

"I know that!" Carly Beth exclaimed. "My friend Sabrina used to go there. It's quite far away, though."

"Maybe we should go there instead," suggested Aaron.

"It's too far away," Carly Beth insisted. "Pitts Landing is the next town over."

Suddenly, they saw someone walking down the street towards them. On instinct, Carly Beth took a knife out of her pocket and held it up. Once the person was close enough, he cried out. He looked around their age. Carly Beth relaxed. Another kid.

"Hey! Put that down," he ordered. He was carrying a large brown paper bag.

Carly Beth obliged. "Sorry, it's just, I thought you were a monster."

For some reason, that made him smile. "Actually, I was out here to find one. Did you hear about the girl who was killed in the next town over?"

"What a coincidence!" Aaron exclaimed, surprised. "We were just going there to find the monster as well."

"Really?" The boy's eyes widened. "Well, it's nice to meet other kids. I'm Ricky."

"I'm Carly Beth," she said. "This is my brother Noah."

"I'm Aaron, and this is my sister Sarah," introduced Aaron. "And that's Lucy."

"Hi," said Ricky awkwardly. "We're all going to Pitts Landing?"

"I suppose so," replied Noah. "That's why I wanted to leave. I wanted to see the monster."

"And then you got sick," Carly Beth reminded. "I shouldn't have let you keep coming."

"I wanted to," Noah insisted. "I wasn't that sick." She stared at him incredulously.

"I brought sandwiches," Ricky announced, reaching into his bag. "So I'd have something to snack on."

"Did you bring any weapons?" Carly Beth asked.

"Well, no," Ricky admitted. "I didn't want to kill the monster. Just see it."

"So do we," said Carly Beth. "But we still brought weapons, just in case."

"Would any of you like a sandwich?" Ricky asked, pulling one out. He smirked for a moment, but then stopped.

"Oh, yes," said Noah eagerly. "I'm starving."

"I am hungry," Carly Beth admitted.

Ricky handed them both one, and the others as well, smirking. Lucy stared at him suspiciously. Carly Beth opened her sandwich in half before eating it, and spoke just as Noah was about to take a bite. "Hey – there's a seed in here."

"Huh?" Noah stared at her.

Carly Beth took the seed out. "I found it in the sandwich."

"Why did you open your sandwich?" Ricky demanded, sounding angry.

"Well, it's a bit silly," she admitted. "A boy once put a worm in my sandwich. A real life worm. I bit into it and screamed. It was disgusting. So now whenever anyone offers me a sandwich, I have to check it first."

Noah opened his sandwich. "Hey! There's a seed in mine too."

The others opened theirs, each finding a seed. Ricky scowled, balling his hands into fists before calming down. "It must've been my brother," he said. "He probably thought it was funny to leave seeds in each of the sandwiches."

"Well, it's fine," said Aaron, dropping his seed on the ground. "We can still eat them, right?"

"Yeah," Ricky said, looking like he wished they couldn't. "Put the seeds in the bag. Don't drop them all over the street."

They did as instructed, and noticed Ricky looked angry and disappointed, though they didn't know why.

Noah bit into his sandwich. "Mm. It's delicious."

"Yeah," Carly Beth agreed as she took a bite. It actually tasted pretty average, but it was nice to have something to eat. "Thanks for bringing the food, Ricky."

"No problem," he replied, looking like he wanted to punch her.

* * *

Billy froze, and his heart caught in his throat. The monster was huge and towering, with white fur and bits of brown underneath. Its enormous legs stomped through the town, making the ground vibrate. Sheena let out a scream. Billy clamped his hand over her mouth, though he doubted it could hear her over its footsteps.

Billy forced himself to get up, his legs shaking. He picked up his axe before dropping it in fear.

"Courtney," he whispered. She looked at him, getting up while holding her crowbar. Even she looked scared now. "We have to do something."

"You think?" she replied sarcastically, though she was shaking as well.

Billy quickly dropped to the ground as the creature approached the building, banging his knee in the process. But Courtney was still standing, though completely still. Billy had to admire her courage.

As the monster passed, Billy shakily stood up. He watched its enormous white back. "I'll run at it," he whispered.

"I will," Courtney insisted. She raised her crowbar to demonstrate.

"We should probably both do it," Billy suggested. He reached down and picked up his axe. 

"One of us should distract it," Courtney suggested, swinging her crowbar for practice. She looked apologetically at Amy when it almost hit her. "If it gets too dangerous."

"Wait, it just looks like it's leaving," Sheena noted. "It hasn't done anything." It was true. The monster was walking through town without stopping once. "We should just wait until it leaves."

"It'll go on to cause havoc at another town," Billy pointed out. "Remember, this thing killed Amy's sister." Amy winced at the reminder before standing, grasping her knife. "I'll come too," she announced, her voice hard and determined.

"Wait," Greg spoke up suddenly. "I don't think this monster–"

Without listening to him, Billy ran out, grasping his axe, ignoring the others yelling frantically to him. He heard Courtney and Amy following him. The monster paused in its tracks. It turned around, slowly looking down until he saw the children. It had an ugly, gorilla-like face, but its expression wasn't angry or evil. In fact, it seemed curious.

"Stay back!" Billy yelled at the girls. "Distract it if you have to." He ran to the monster until he was in front of it, and swung the axe into its leg. It let out a howl of pain and kicked its leg, knocking Billy to the ground. He lay there, breathless. He saw Courtney run up, but instead of hitting it with her crowbar, started yelling, drawing as much attention to herself as possible. It started following her as she ran. Billy quickly got to his feet, picking up the axe.

Amy followed Billy as he followed them. Courtney ran past the ice cream shop, but the monster stopped there. It paused and bent down while Courtney kept running, not noticing. Billy ran up to it as fast as he could, worried it had seen his friends. Just as he ran up to it, he saw it was focusing on Courtney's bag. It had spilled over and the contents were scattered over the ground. Great. Now the monster had all the weapons. Billy didn't swing his axe, worried it'd knock him down again.

However, it only seemed interested in one thing. It picked up a packet of food in Courtney's bag. It opened the packet with its large, furry hands and stood up again. Billy looked up at the monster in disbelief as he watched it tip the contents of the packet into its mouth.

Courtney had stopped running upon realising the monster wasn't following her and was watching in awe too, panting slightly. She ran over to Billy, the monster not noticing her anymore. "Trail mix," she whispered.

"What?" Billy looked at her.

"That's the trail mix I packed in my bag," she explained. "It's one of my favorite snack foods."

"Seems to be one of its too," noted Billy. It was crouched over Courtney's bag again, rummaging through the contents. It picked up another packet and ate it.

"It can eat everything in my bag if it wants," joked Courtney. But it didn't eat anything else. It stood up again. "That was all the trail mix," said Courtney.

It turned around, starting to walk through the town again. Billy quickly jumped out of the way, along with Amy and Courtney. "Don't let it escape!" Amy hissed.

Just then, Billy saw someone approaching them. He instinctively raised his axe, but lowered it upon seeing it was two more kids from his school, Jordan and Nicole Blake.

"What are you all doing out here?" Nicole demanded.

"Does it matter?" Billy snapped. "There's a monster on the loose."

"Oh, that's the abominable snowman," Jordan said, almost casually as he observed it. "We saw him outside and decided to come out. We met him a while ago."

"A snowman?" Billy asked incredulously. "He doesn't look like one."

"You met him?" Courtney exclaimed. "That's great! So you know how to kill him."

"Kill him?" Nicole exclaimed. "We don't need to. He's harmless, really. He didn't hurt us. Well, I did get frozen, but–"

"Well, he hurt my sister!" Amy seethed. "He killed her, in this town."

"What?" Jordan gasped. "He wouldn't do that."

"I heard about the girl who died here," Nicole said. "But–"

"Can we talk about this later?" Billy demanded.

"Oh, yeah," Jordan agreed. "You three stay here. We'll talk to the snowman."

"Talk to him?" Courtney repeated in disbelief, but they were already heading towards him.

"I guess they know what to do," Billy said uneasily. "They have met it– him before."

They watched as the two ran towards the snowman. He turned around, looking down at them. Then his face broke into a smile. Billy watched with disbelief as he bent down and picked up Nicole. He held her in his arms, perhaps smothering her. Billy stepped forward, not sure whether to rescue her. He walked up to Jordan.

"He did this before," he told Billy. "He hugged my sister to unfreeze her. But she's not frozen this time."

"He's... hugging her?" Billy asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Jordan replied. "It might be a bit too tight, though. I'm Jordan, by the way."

"I'm Billy." Billy watched as the snowman lowered and released Nicole. She stepped away, slightly dazed, but didn't seem scared.

"Well, that's one way to greet me," she said, laughing slightly.

"Are you okay, Nicole?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah. Just a bit cold," Nicole said, brushing herself off.

"What's he going to do now?" Billy asked her.

"I don't know," Nicole replied. "Go back to his home, I guess, like last time. It's too warm here."

"Then why did he come here?" Billy demanded.

"I don't know," Jordan replied.

Billy watched as the snowman walked off, until he couldn't see the enormous figure anymore. He turned to Jordan and Nicole, not believing he had just let a monster escape.

"He killed someone!" he blurted out. "Didn't you hear? The girl who was killed. Sara Kramer."

"What?" Jordan exclaimed. "I heard about that girl. She died in this town. But it wasn't him who killed her. I'm sure it wasn't."

"Then what was it?" Billy demanded.

"We don't know," Nicole admitted. "They don't know the monster for sure. But the news said that when her dead body was discovered, she was missing her hands."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mention the monster at the start so it'd be a mystery for people who don't know the protagonists of The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids are all united.

"Did you hear the howls?" Lucy asked. She took a bite of her sandwich. "They came from the woods."

"Yeah, I heard them," said Ricky. "They're far away, though." The howls faded as they walked.

"It sounds like a monster," shuddered Carly Beth.

"It woke me up," said Sarah, taking a bite of her sandwich. "I went outside to get some fresh air."

"As long as we stay out the woods, we'll be fine," said Aaron. He started walking faster, and they all followed.

"So... what's your plan when we arrive at Pitts Landing?" asked Ricky.

"We just want to see the monster," explained Carly Beth. "I brought some knives with me, just in case."

"Like the one you pointed at me," quipped Ricky.

"There's someone at school who wanted to form a monster fighting gang," said Sarah. "Billy Deep."

"What?" Ricky perked up upon hearing the name.

"He has this plan to get rid of the monsters with the kids in the city, apparently," explained Carly Beth. "I guess we're a group as well. Though we're just going to see the monster, not kill it."

Great, thought Ricky. Even if I haven't fed them the seeds, I could learn information and gain their trust.

"That sounds like an... interesting idea," said Ricky. "Will you join his group?"

"Maybe," replied Carly Beth. "We've all encountered monsters before. I used to be easily scared of them, but after facing one, I'm less scared."

"Have you met monsters before, Ricky?" added Aaron.

"Well... no," Ricky lied. "I just thought it'd be cool to see one."

"Oh," said Lucy. "Well, that's strange. You're the only one who hasn't."

"Can I have another sandwich?" asked Noah.

Ricky handed him another, hoping he'd forget about the seeds. He did, but as he was about to take a bite, Carly Beth said, "Wait. Look for the seed."

Noah took the seed out and threw it in Ricky's bag. "Good thinking, Carly Beth," Ricky said with a hint of annoyance.

Thankfully, no one noticed his annoyance. "I heard another report," Sarah told Ricky. "About monsters who attacked the police."

"What's more, it was near our dad's old school," added Aaron, looking horrified. "Harding Middle School."

"What?" Ricky gasped. He nearly dropped his bag. Of course the police would tell everyone.

Sarah noticed the look of horror on his face. "Don't worry, they managed to kill one of the monsters," she assured.

Ricky forced himself to look relieved. "Well, that's good." He sincerely hoped he was a good enough actor for this.

"Do you know where Billy Deep is now?" Ricky asked, trying to gain information.

"Probably sleeping," Carly Beth replied. "He had to stay at school overnight, since his parents couldn't pick him up. It'd be hard to break out of there."

"But if he could, he'd probably go out to find the monster," Sarah added.

"The school's too locked up," Carly Beth pointed out. "All the teachers are paranoid."

Ricky would have to tell the monsters at Horrorland this bit of information. At least Billy Deep wasn't hunting down the monster yet.

"What?" Amy gasped after a horrified silence. She looked nauseated at the idea. "She had her hands missing?"

"They were chopped off," replied Jordan. "At least, they looked like they were. She just had stumps. The police thought it was extremely weird. And disturbing."

At that point, Greg and his friends came out from their hiding place. "Is the monster gone?" Greg asked nervously.

"Yes," Nicole replied dismissively. "Do you know about the murdered girl? She had her hands missing when she died."

"I know," Greg replied, looking horrified. "I heard it on TV."

"That sounds horrible," Shari added with a shudder. "I'm glad I didn't find her body."

"What?" Billy exclaimed. "What monster would cut off someone's hands?"

"Not the snowman, that's for sure," Nicole said. "He wouldn't do that. Even if he wanted to kill someone, why take their hands?"

Amy looked pale and disgusted at the thought of her sister having her hands taken. "She'll never paint again," she cried.

"What?" Jordan asked.

"She loved to paint," Amy explained. "And now, her hands were taken. Oh, that's a stupid thought. She's dead. Of course she can't paint again, even if her hands were still there."

Billy put his arm around her as she started sniffling. "The girl was her sister," he explained at Jordan and Nicole's confused look.

"Oh, right!" Jordan exclaimed, remembering. "She's Amy Kramer."

Nicole looked horrified. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Amy."

"Me too," added Jordan, also shocked. "It's a terrible thing."

"What about the monster?" Greg demanded. "It just left. Did you manage to hit it? Or scare it off?"

"No," Billy replied. "I tried, but it just knocked me to the ground."

"We met him before," Jordan added. "He's an abominable snowman."

"Abominable snowman?" Sheena exclaimed. "Like, a yeti?" The others gasped. Billy realised he'd apparently just seen a real life abominable snowman, a mythical creature. "But that's just a myth."

"I thought so too, until we met him," said Nicole. "We travelled to the Antarctic with our dad, and brought him back to our home to show everyone. But then he returned to his home. He didn't kill that girl. He wouldn't do that. He saved my life once." A monster saving a girl's life?

"Yeah, he was actually pretty cool," added Jordan. "Uh, no pun intended."

"He ate all my trail mix," noted Courtney.

Nicole smiled slightly. "Oh, yeah. He loves that food."

"What was he doing rampaging through town?" Sheena demanded.

"I think he was trying to return home," said Jordan. "He wants to be with the snow. It's too hot here."

"Wait!" Sheena said. "If you saw a real life abominable snowman, why doesn't everyone know? Why wasn't it on the news?"

Nicole looked slightly embarrassed. "We were too afraid to let him out. And when we did, he returned home before we could tell anyone. One of our friends saw him, though."

"Dad took pictures of him, but he didn't show up in them for some reason," added Jordan. "We couldn't see him. That was a real disappointment. No one would believe us."

"Maybe he's a vampire," joked Billy.

Suddenly, the kids heard someone approaching. They saw several people running down the street. It was too late to hide from them. Billy raised his axe and Courtney her crowbar.

They saw several more kids, to their relief. They quickly lowered their weapons. The street was quite crowded now. Billy was surprised to see the kids. There was Carly Beth and her brother, Sarah and her brother, and two others he didn't recognise.

They all started talking at the same time, surprised to see so many other kids. Billy heard them talk to him and Amy in particular. It started to get quite loud, as well as crowded. And it had been so quiet and empty before.

"QUIET!" Billy yelled. Thankfully, that silenced everyone.

Billy counted all the kids. There were sixteen of them. More than enough to form a group.

"Billy, what are you doing out?" demanded Carly Beth. "I thought you were at school."

"We were," Billy replied. "But we sort of... escaped."

"More like broke out," quipped Sheena.

"What?" Sarah exclaimed. "But how? You couldn't get past the locks and teachers."

"It wasn't easy," said Billy. "But we had to find the monster."

"It killed my sister!" added Amy.

"What?" exclaimed a surprised Carly Beth. "We were trying to find the monster too. That's why we were out."

"What? Really?" Billy couldn't help feeling excited. More people to join his gang.

"We just wanted to look at it," clarified a pale, dark-haired girl with them. Even so, they still went out to find the monster.

"Well, you're a little late," said Sheena. "It left."

"What?" Sarah gasped. "The monster was here?"

"Yes, but he didn't kill the girl," clarified Nicole. "We met him before. I think it was another monster that killed her."

"What kind of monster was it?" asked the dark-haired boy with glasses. "I mean, the one that came. What did it look like?"

"It was... well, an abominable snowman," said Jordan.

"What?" Aaron, Sarah's brother, exclaimed. "An abominable snowman?"

"I heard of it," said Carly Beth. "But I thought it was just a myth."

"He isn't," said Nicole. "He's real. My brother Jordan and I met him before."

"Yeah, we did," added Jordan.

"This is too much for me to take in," groaned Sheena. "We should just all go home."

"Wait," said Billy. "We're all out because we wanted to find the monster, right?"

"Yes," replied Greg. "We live in Pitts Landing, so my friends and I wanted to see it."

"I wanted to see it," piped up Noah, Carly Beth's brother. He was the youngest kid there. "It was my idea, but Carly Beth came with me."

"And then we ran into that woman and you got sick," Carly Beth reminded.

Billy was about to question that when the dark-haired girl spoke up. "I went outside to check where the howls were coming from."

"Howls?" asked Billy.

"There were howls outside," explained Sarah. "Coming from the woods. They woke me up. It sounded like a monster."

"We didn't see the monster, though," added Aaron. "It was in the woods."

Billy looked up at the sky. He had a feeling he knew what monster it was.

"Me and Nicole were curious because we saw the abominable snowman outside," Jordan said.

"Nicole and I," she corrected. "And I only came because I saw you weren't in the house."

"Whatever," he muttered.

"Okay, so we all came to find monsters," deduced Billy. He noticed the boy with glasses hadn't said anything, though he assumed he was also out for the same reason. "I had an idea, for quite a while. An idea to form a monster fighting gang."

Most of them had already heard this, so they weren't shocked. Jordan and Nicole hadn't, though.

"What?" Jordan gasped.

Billy was a little disappointed by the lack of reaction. "A bunch of kids have faced monsters before," he explained. "Like all of us. And we all came to find the monster. There's..." He did a quick count again, to make sure, "...sixteen of us. More than enough to form a group. And there could even be more kids who want to join."

"I'm in!" exclaimed Jordan. "That sounds awesome!"

"I don't know," said Nicole doubtfully. "We're just kids. We can't do this."

"Okay, let's vote," Billy said. "Hands up if you want to join."

"More like hands up if you think this is even a good idea," Sheena quipped.

"Be quiet," Billy snapped. Several kids raised their hands. Billy counted twelve, not including himself. Yes! Twelve out of sixteen. Thirteen, including him. One raised her hand before putting it back down.

He turned smugly to Sheena, who didn't have her hand raised. "Looks like you're outnumbered."

"I'll definitely join," spoke up the dark-haired girl, though she sounded unsure. "We need to get rid of the monsters."

"What's your name?" Billy asked her.

"Lucy," she replied.

"I will too," added the boy. "I'm Ricky. I might not show up much though, since... uh, my parents might not want me to."

"I expect mine don't either," Billy told him. "We'll just have to get around them."

"I'm not sure," admitted Sarah. She had raised her hand before putting it down. "I want to get rid of Della – the ghost I'm dealing with – but I couldn't fight monsters." There was something else she was more worried about. Not the monsters, but the other kids.

"None of us know exactly how to fight monsters," Billy assured her. "We'll just have to learn."

"I know how," bragged Courtney. "I got rid of monsters before. Everyone else was terrified, but I scared them off."

"Well, teach us how, then," Billy snapped, annoyed by her bragging.

"Not right now," she said. "It's too late, and we need to head back to our houses."

"You mean we came all this way for nothing?" demanded an outraged Amy. She was angry about not getting to avenge her sister.

"Not nothing," Billy argued, though he felt that way. "We saw a monster, didn't we?"

"A harmless one," Jordan noted.

"Yeah," Courtney agreed. To Billy's surprise, she sounded excited. "We saw an abominable snowman. A mythical creature. Don't you realise how exciting that is? Everyone thought it was just a myth."

"You're right," Lucy agreed. "You know, I used to be obsessed with monsters. I read stories about them."

"I bet you're not anymore," Billy griped.

"Too bad it left," said Courtney. "I would've liked to take a picture of it."

"Even if you did, it wouldn't show up in the photo, remember?" Jordan pointed out. "And he's better off in his home, among the snow and ice."

"He'll have a hard time getting there," noted Sheena. "Unless it can travel overseas."

"Oh, yes!" cried Nicole. "He'll just wander through the town, scaring everyone in their houses."

"Well, it's too late to worry about him now," said Sheena, rubbing her eyes. "We should all get home. I'm exhausted."

"But we should meet again," said Billy. "We all want to be part of this group, right?"

"Not all of us," quipped Sheena.

He ignored her. "Let's meet here again, in Pitts Landing, since we all ended up here. Tomorrow night."

"I packed all those weapons and food for nothing," said Courtney, slightly disappointed despite her excitement over seeing the abominable snowman.

"Yes, that's it!" Billy exclaimed. "Courtney, you'll bring the weapons. You have plenty of them. Sheena and I will try to bring some, too. We should bring food and medical supplies, as well."

"I thought you thought I packed too much," said Courtney, smirking.

"Well, maybe you were right," Billy admitted. "We might get hurt or hungry."

"We'll bring weapons," added Jordan. "Our dad has some tools we could use." Nicole scowled at him, not liking the idea as much.

"I'll bring food," said Greg.

"I'll bring some bandages," added Carly Beth.

"Great!" Billy said. "Don't bring too much, though, or we won't be able to carry it all. I know! I think you all should bring a bag or something with supplies. Not a big bag, and not more than one. We'll share the supplies with each other." He really felt like a leader then.

"Where did you even get that box of weapons from?" Courtney asked Billy.

"From the school," Billy replied. "The teachers must've been keeping it in case." He groaned. "Oh, no! How will we get back to the school?"

"You snuck out from school?" demanded Nicole. She disapproved of doing that even when there weren't monsters on the loose. She was a teacher's pet.

"We have to get back to the school in time," said Sheena. "Before they notice. Quick, we have to hurry!"

"What if the teachers have found out we're not there?" asked Amy nervously. "Then we'd really be in trouble."

"Don't worry," assured Billy. "I'm sure they haven't. They wouldn't think we left. It's so locked up there. We wouldn't even have been able to leave if we hadn't found that box."

"Yes, you're probably right," said Amy, though she still looked worried.

"Let's go!" Billy told Sheena and Amy. "Quick, back to the school."

Billy felt better as they all separated. True, he hadn't managed to kill or even find the right monster, but he had found kids to join his group, and that was even better. He imagined them helping each other fight monsters and becoming heroes. They'd be on the news, praised by the police for getting rid of monsters at such a young age.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I included all the protagonists in the first chapter, but the only ones I left out are Todd and Gabe. Now they're really united. They have two monsters in the group, Lucy and Ricky.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night nears its ends as the monsters are out in the city.

Clarissa was looking through the books in Vanessa's house. No one in Goshen Falls had noticed them arrive. They had noticed Vanessa's disappearance before, but hadn't thought much of it. In fact, they were glad she was gone, especially two certain children.

"These are quite good," said Sarabeth, opening one. "This is one about transformation. Turning things into other things."

"Turning people into other things," Vanessa corrected. "Other live things. That's far more advanced. I have another book about turning objects into other objects."

"What? But why would you do that?" Clarissa asked, alarmed. She had been looking through a book about curses, and found it rather disturbing.

"To teach them a lesson, of course," Vanessa replied. "Or to have fun."

"Do you have any spells for turning people deaf?" asked Sarabeth suddenly.

"That's a bit specific," noted Vanessa. "But yes, I think so. I also have one for turning them blind."

"These spells are horrible!" exclaimed Clarissa as she looked through the book. "I mean, they're not," she added, not wanting to offend Vanessa. "They're good spells. But they're cruel. Why would you want to do this to people?"

"To teach them a lesson," Vanessa repeated. "I once cursed two particularly rude children to become chickens. They started clucking and bucking whenever they tried to talk. And I cursed a boy's head to become a sponge. Everyone called him Sponge Head."

Sarabeth burst out laughing. "That's brilliant! You just did it to another girl, as well. You cursed her hands to become sponges."

"Yes, because she ripped your dress," said Vanessa, smirking. "She needs to be taught some manners."

"That's horrible!" Clarissa exclaimed. "How could you do that to children?"

Vanessa stared at her, surprised. "I only do it to children who are rude and need to be taught a lesson."

"But that's a bit much, don't you think?" asked Clarissa. "They're still only children. And do you fix the curses afterwards?"

"Sometimes," replied Vanessa. "If they show they've learned their lesson. If they don't, well..."

Clarissa flipped through the curse book. "These spells are... interesting. And powerful." She didn't want to say "horrible" again. "But they're so cruel and harsh. How can you inflict them on children?"

"I thought you wanted to learn from us," Sarabeth pointed out.

"I do," said Clarissa. "But don't you have any books about different spells?"

"Like wishes?" asked Vanessa. "Oh, I'm afraid not. I'm not that kind of witch. I don't give wishes."

"Do you have any spells for... helping people?" Clarissa asked.

"Of course," Vanessa replied. "You're reading them right now. I help children learn lessons and become polite and well-mannered."

"Seems you don't give wishes, but punishments," noted Clarissa. She had once made a child's life miserable, but not on purpose. In fact, she had been trying to help her. It was just that her powers were too weak, and instead made things hard for her. But these two seemed to like causing harm on children. She decided she better not question them again, in case they tried testing one of their spells on her.

Suddenly, a black cat crawled in, gazing curiously at them. Clarissa and Sarabeth stared at it curiously while it walked to Vanessa, who took it into her arms.

"Oh, dear Veruca," she spoke soothingly as she stroked it. Her voice instantly became softer and more gentle. "I'm sorry I haven't been there to take care of you. Have you been well?"

The cat licked her face. She laughed. "Well, you don't feel any skinnier. So I suppose so."

"I was a cat too," Sarabeth said.

Clarissa looked at her. "You mean you had a cat."

"No, I was one," she insisted. "I can transform into a cat. It looks remarkably like that one. Want to see?"

"Guess you don't need any of the books about transformation, then," Vanessa noted. "No, don't transform. Veruca wouldn't like to see another cat. She'd worry I brought another one to keep."

"And then we'd fight for who you should keep," said Sarabeth, grinning. For some reason, that made Vanessa blush.

They stayed up late in the night, reading books and talking. They taught Clarissa some spells. She didn't protest again, though she didn't like most of them she read about. They had kindly agreed to teach her. She didn't want to try most of them, but some weren't too bald. Vanessa said she could test them on her, and she'd undo them immediately afterwards.

"So you're my guinea pig?" asked Clarissa.

"Yes," replied Vanessa. "I'm being very generous."

Clarissa pointed at her, glanced at the book, and whispered the chant. Then she remembered ahe had to say it loudly and clearly. She opened her mouth to do so, but then heard Vanessa cry out.

She glanced up and saw Vanessa's shiny black hair rapidly fall out. Soon, she was staring at a bald woman.

Sarabeth tried her hardest not to laugh, but Clarissa was horrified. "Oh, Vanessa! I'm so sorry." The spell was meant to make her hair change color, not fall off.

"It's alright," said Vanessa, though she was trying hard to remain calm. She pointed at the hair on the floor, waving her arm in an odd circular motion. Then, it disappeared from the floor. Clarissa stared at the floor quizzically. She supposed she wanted to clean her floor.

Then, Vanessa's hair started to grow again! The black strands extended down her head until it went halfway down her waist. It looked like it had never fallen off, sleek and shiny.

"Wow," Clarissa awed. Sarabeth looked impressed, but not surprised. It was probably simple magic to them. "That was great, Vanessa."

"Not really," she shrugged. "A simple spell. Though the one you cast on me was also simple. You must be more inexperienced than I thought." Clarissa blushed. "You said it too quietly. Some spells need to be said quietly, but not that one."

"I know," said Clarissa, embarrassed by Vanessa's critical look. She must seem like such a pathetic witch. "But I told you, I'm not too good of a witch."

"That will change," said Vanessa, softening.

"Maybe we should be heading back to Horrorland," suggested Clarissa, changing the subject.

"We'll be taken back as soon as it's day," Sarabeth pointed out. "So no need to worry. It's easier than walking there."

"And I like being in my house again," added Vanessa. "I don't know if they've noticed I've disappeared. Probably not. I was never popular in town. All the children thought I was a witch. And, well, I am." She smiled slightly.

Clarissa wanted to admit she was tired, but she didn't want to seem even more weak than she was as a witch.

"Still, I am tired," admitted Sarabeth, to Clarissa's relief. "I'd like to go to sleep. If that's okay with you, Vanessa?"

"Sure," she said. "You can take my couch."

"I'm tired too," Clarissa added. "Can I go to sleep?"

Vanessa frowned at her, but nodded. "If you must. But I'm not tired in the least. I'll wake you up when it's time for us to be taken back. We wouldn't want to be asleep when that happens."

But a few hours later, when it was approaching dawn, Vanessa felt tired as well, and dozed off while reading a book, unable to keep her eyes open. Not a spellbook, but an ordinary storybook, about a witch.

All three witches were fast asleep. But as the day progressed, they still hadn't been teleported back to Horrorland.

* * *

Will Blake lay in the forest, bruised and exhausted. He had left Horrorland and taken refuge in the nearest forest for the full moon. At least there, he couldn't hurt anyone. The park was too crowded.

The people in the street could definitely hear him, though. They must be horrified to hear the howling. Will just hoped none of them had left their houses to check the noise. Thankfully, none of them had entered the forest. At least, he didn't think so. He couldn't control himself during a full moon, but he thought he'd remember if saw a human.

He hated this curse. He hated whenever it was the time of the month when he became a vicious, raging beast. He was a monster, and at such a young age. He wished he was like other normal kids. He tried to be like one as a human. But whenever the days neared a full moon, he was forcibly reminded that he wasn't. He was actually a monster.

Whenever he had met new kids in Fever Swamp, like Cassie and Grady, he had been excited, but also cautious. If they found out the truth, they'd fear him, no doubt. So he accused the swamp hermit instead. He was an easy target, being so weird and living in the middle of a swamp. He knew it wasn't nice of him, but at least the hermit didn't have to deal with being an actual werewolf.

At least he didn't have to worry about returning to Horrorland by himself. He'd be taken there by dawn, as if teleported, like all the monsters were. He lay on the forest floor, not even having the energy to get up. Well, he did, but he was too lazy. He only wished dawn would arrive quicker.

* * *

"Hey," Della heard a boy call to her. She ignored him, focused on finding Sarah. She knew she didn't want to see her, but she just had to apologise. Then she'd leave her alone. Yes, she should've done that before. She could ask anyone else to be her buddy.

No, she couldn't. She shouldn't pester anyone to be her buddy. The thought of not having a buddy made her sad, but she supposed it was sadder for another girl to die because of her selfishness.

"Hey, miss!" the boy called. He sounded young. "Can I talk to you?"

Della slowed down and turned around. He was running up to her, and accidentally collided with her. But he didn't go through her. In fact, she felt him fall against her.

"Sorry," he said. He looked around her age. "Are you a ghost?"

"Yes," Della replied, surprised.

"I am too!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, really?" He was the fourth ghost she had met, and they were all children.

"Why did we crash into each other?" he asked. "I thought we went through everyone."

"Maybe ghosts can touch each other," suggested Della. She hadn't tried touching the Sadlers.

"Another ghost," he said. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your story? How did you die?"

When she didn't reply, he said, "You know, I used to not have my head. I had it taken off before dying. Then, as a ghost, I was headless."

"What?" Della exclaimed. She couldn't imagine something so horrible. And she thought getting bitten by a snake was horrifying. "How did you lose your head?"

"It was many years ago," he recounted. "I was wandering my house, the new house. My parents wanted me to leave them alone."

Della supposed she could wait a little before finding Sarah. It was more exciting to meet another ghost, anyway.

* * *

Mr. Mortman glanced at the clock in the library. It was nearly 3am. He gave a start. Had he been there for that long?

He had been reading, rearranging the books and card catalogs, tidying and dusting with the supplies he had found in the restroom. He forgot how much he missed being in a library. He even just enjoyed the smell of books.

He supposed he had to leave now. As soon as it was dawn, they were all transported back to Horrorland. Plus, he didn't want anyone to come in and find him.

He yawned. He had been reading a book, his eyes glued to the pages, but now they were becoming weary. He considered taking the book to finish it, but decided against it. He couldn't steal.

He was very tired, though. Maybe he'd just read the next few pages. He needed to know what happened next. As he continued to read, his eyes drooped, and he felt weariness overtake him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name of Vanessa's cat is a reference to something.
> 
> "Became a vicious, raging beast once a month" ...Sound familiar?


	12. Chapter 12

Jordan froze, his heart pounding. Their father was running up to them, a terrified look on his face. Nicole glared at Jordan.

Their father pulled them both into a hug. "Where have you too been?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," said Jordan. He tried to squirm out of the tight hug.

He let them go, scanning them frantically. "Where were you? I woke up, and couldn't find you in the house." He looked like he didn't know whether to be angry or relieved.

"It was Jordan's fault, Dad," said Nicole. He glared at her, but knew she was right. Besides, he had agreed to take the responsibility if their dad found out. "He left the house, and I noticed he wasn't there, so I went after him."

"What?" Mr. Blake exclaimed. He was definitely more angry now. He glared furiously at them. "Do you have any idea—"

"We saw the abominable snowman," Jordan blurted out.

His father stared at him. "What?"

"It was walking outside," explained Jordan. "I heard his footsteps and checked out the window. He was there. I had to see him again."

"Are you serious?" Mr. Blake asked incredulously. He was considering that it was a joke by Jordan.

"It's true," Nicole added. He immediately believed her. She never joked around, especially not while backing up Jordan. "I went outside and saw him too."

"Oh, God," muttered Mr. Blake. "He's back here?"

"I think so," said Jordan. "But he just kept walking through town." He considered telling him about the other kids, but decided against it. Definitely not.

"He's probably trying to return to his home," added Nicole. "But I don't know why he's here again."

"Where is he now?" demanded Mr. Blake.

"I don't know," replied Jordan. "He just disappeared."

"We should let him go home," suggested Nicole. "He belongs there."

"Yes, you're right, Nicole," said Mr. Blake, though he was still disappointed about not being able to reveal him to anyone. "I told the police about him, and I think they still doubted me, despite the monsters on the loose. I mean, an abominable snowman is a mythical creature. But they said they'd keep a lookout for him."

"You two should go back to sleep," he instructed. "I don't approve of you coming outside, but since you saw the abominable snowman, I suppose I can't blame you." Jordan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dad, are you going to try to catch it?" Nicole asked as they headed inside.

"No," he replied. "I expect someone else will come out to see him, anyway." Several kids had, thought Jordan. "I told the police he was harmless, and not to hurt him. Don't think they believed that, either. But they agreed."

"Oh, good," said Nicole. She had a soft spot for him since he saved her life. He seemed to as well, with how he had hugged her.

Jordan did as well. He hoped the police didn't try shooting or killing him. He was pretty much harmless. He was also worried about someone from the monster fighting gang trying to. Then again, they had told them he was harmless.

* * *

"So, what do you all think of the monster fighting group?" asked Aaron. "It sounds great," replied Noah. "I can't wait to join! I'll be the youngest kid there." "And the dumbest," Carly Beth griped. He punched her in the arm. "Hey, you wanted to come too." She wouldn't let go of Noah's hand as they walked. "Carly Beth, stop," he pleaded, trying to pull away. "I'm not a baby."

"You got seriously sick," she chided. "You could've—" She cut herself off.

"But I'm fine," he insisted, managing to break free. "I feel great now."

They came to the woods where the howls had come from. They had finally stopped. The woods were dark and silent.

"Oh, good," said Aaron. "The monster's gone."

"Goodnight, everyone," said Lucy as she headed for her house. Sarah and Aaron headed into theirs. Carly Beth wondered if their parents would notice they were gone. Then, she thought with sudden fear if her parents had woken up and noticed they were gone.

"Come on," insisted Carly Beth, tugging Noah's hand again. "Let's get home."

"Wait," he said, stopping. He gazed at the forest.

"Oh, don't tell me you want to go into the forest," she groaned.

"No," he said. "Not yet. But there was a monster in there, right?"

"Sure sounded like it," agreed Carly Beth.

"Well, what if... what if we caught it?" suggested Noah.

"What?" Carly Beth exclaimed.

"Well, we did join the monster fighting group," Noah pointed out. "We could be the first kids to catch a monster. There's one near our house."

"So what should we do?" Carly Beth asked. The woods were closer to Sarah and Lucy's houses.

"It's a werewolf, right?" said Noah. "They come out on the full moon." She hadn't expected him to notice. "So we'll wait until morning, when it turns into a human, and confront the person in the woods. We'll know they're a werewolf."

It wasn't a bad plan. "But what if they're not a werewolf?" asked Carly Beth. "What if they just decided to take a walk through the woods?" She had to admit, that sounded stupid.

"Who would do that?" scoffed Noah.

"But can we stay up that late?" asked Carly Beth. She yawned. "I'm really tired."

"Well, I'm not," said Noah. Then he yawned too. "Hey, yawning is contagious," he defended when Carly Beth raised an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I'm a little tired. But I can stay up."

"Maybe we could take turns," Carly Beth suggested. "You go to sleep first, and I'll wake you in the morning."

"No, you go to sleep," Noah insisted. "I'll stay up."

"Oh, fine," said Carly Beth. She really was tired. "I know. When you start feeling tired, wake me up, and I'll stay awake while you sleep."

"Got it," Noah nodded. "But now will we catch the werewolf? Should we talk to him, or capture him?"

"Oh, I don't know," groaned Carly Beth, starting to walk down the street. "Try thinking of something while I sleep. It was your idea, after all."

"Hey," Noah protested. He was too tired to think of a plan as well, though he didn't want to admit it. But he did like the idea of catching a werewolf. He could even tell the kids it had been his idea, and they'd all be amazed and impressed such a young kid thought of it.

* * *

Sarah was relieved that the howls coming from the woods had stopped. She showed Aaron the secret passage she had taken into the front yard. He was surprised she still remembered it.

Upon entering the house, she was worried their parents had woken up. They'd really be in trouble if they had. But, to their immense relief, the house was still and quiet. She said goodnight to Aaron before going to her room.

She still couldn't get to sleep, even though the howls had stopped. She kept thinking about the monster fighting gang. Did she want to join? She did want to get rid of Della. But she was nervous. Not of the monsters, though it was that as well, but of the other kids.

There were so many of them. What if she said or did the wrong thing and made them all hate her? Just like she had at Camp Cold Lake. Thankfully, she hadn't managed to get off on the wrong foot with any of them yet. There was one she kind of liked. Carly Beth. She was a short, meek-looking girl, but had acted like the leader. She took charge and led them to Pitts Landing.

Soon, she managed to fall asleep. She didn't notice a pale, fair-haired ghost materialise in her room and see her sleeping, considering whether to wake her before reluctantly leaving, deciding to come back later.

* * *

"Lucy!" Randy cried. "Where were you?"

"Shh!" Lucy clamped her hand over his mouth. "Be quiet. You'll wake Mom and Dad."

"I hope I do!" Randy snapped. He licked her mouth, causing her to pull it back with a cry.

"You are so gross!" she groaned.

"I woke up and went to your room, but you weren't there," said Randy.

"Why did you go to my room?" Lucy demanded.

"I was... I mean, I wanted to ask you about the noises outside," said Randy, slightly embarrassed.

"You were scared by them, weren't you?" Lucy grinned.

"No!" he denied. "Well, maybe a little. I wanted to ask you if you heard them."

"Of course I did," Lucy said. "How couldn't I? They were right outside."

"Is that why you went outside?" asked Randy.

"Yes," she admitted. "They were coming from the woods. There must be a monster in there."

"But I didn't see you outside," Randy said. "I looked out my window and yours, but I couldn't see you."

"Because they were too boarded up," Lucy said. "Besides, I was probably standing somewhere else."

"I guess you're right," admitted Randy. "But why did it take you so long to come back?"

"Uh..." Lucy wondered whether to tell him about the other kids. Her parents definitely wouldn't approve of her joining the gang, since they wanted to remain in hiding and didn't want to kill other monsters. But she could convince her brother not to tell them.

"You went somewhere, didn't you?" Randy accused. "Where were you?"

"Okay, I'll tell you," Lucy conceded. She told him the whole story, how she had stopped Aaron – a different Aaron, she clarified – from running into the woods, met up with his sister Sarah and Carly Beth and her brother Noah, and how they all went to Pitts Landing to find the monster.

"What?" Randy gasped. "You went to find the monster?"

"There's someone called Billy Deep who wants to form a monster fighting gang," Lucy explained.

"But we're monsters!" Randy pointed out. "Why would you help them?"

"We were just going to see the monster, not kill it," Lucy argued. She explained how they had arrive for at Pitts Landing and found several other kids there.

"There were that many kids out at night?" Randy gasped. "What were they all doing out?"

"For the same reason as us," said Lucy. "They wanted to find the monster."

When she explained how she agreed to join the monster fighting gang, Randy gasped before she could explain. "But why?" he demanded. "We're monsters too!"

"To make sure they didn't suspect me of being one," explained Lucy. "If I join the group, they won't think I am. Besides, some monsters are evil. The one who killed that girl has to be. And Mortman was. He tried to kill me."

"I guess," Randy agreed reluctantly. "But what would Mom and Dad think?"

"They wouldn't approve," said Lucy. "Don't tell them!"

"You're lucky I didn't tell them you weren't in the house," noted Randy.

"Thanks for that," said Lucy gratefully. "Why didn't you?"

"I guess I didn't want to snitch on you," Randy admitted. "I was always doing that before whenever you scared me with your stories."

"Well, thanks," said Lucy. "Don't snitch on me now."

"I won't," Randy agreed. "I really feel like I should, though."

* * *

"Well, Commander?" Wart asked eagerly. "Did you feed them the seeds?"

Ricky hated to disappoint them. He had asked if anyone wanted sandwiches before they left, but the irritatingly perceptive Carly Beth had helpfully warned everyone about the seeds inside again. Ricky wanted to punch whoever had put that worm in her sandwich.

David peered into the paper bag. "It's empty!" he exclaimed happily. Then he frowned. "But the seeds are still there." He glanced quizzically at Ricky.

"They noticed the seeds," he admitted. "They took them out before eating the sandwiches." He had at least told them all to put the seeds in the bag instead of scattering them across the street, though if they did, he could just pick them up. He regretted asking if they wanted sandwiches, since now they didn't have any left to feed anyone. "I'm so sorry. I have failed you in this regard."

"It's alright, Commander," said a disappointed Brenda. "We will have other chances."

"I did agree to join the monster fighting gang," informed Ricky. "The one led by Billy Deep."

Some of the Creeps exclaimed in surprise and nervousness, while others congratulated him.

"Well done, Commander," said Tasha. Ricky smirked. He didn't think he'd ever hear her say those words.

"We might not be able to feed them the seeds yet, but you can spy on them, Commander," said David. "Learn all the information you can. Soon, Creeps will take over the world!"

They all cheered, including Ricky. He wondered how they'd deal with the other monsters. They all had goals too. Could they feed them the seeds as well?

* * *

"Oh, Shari! Thank god you're safe."

"Mom, let go," Shari pleaded, squirming in her mother's grip. She had been horrified when she found out she had woken and knew she had left the house. She only hoped Greg and the others' parents also hadn't found out. But her mother seemed unusually worried. She was almost crying as she hugged Shari.

"Mom, I'm fine," Shari insisted. "I'm sorry I left, but–"

"You left?" she exclaimed, finally letting go of her. "You left? I thought you had disappeared."

"What?"

"Like you did before," her mother reminded. "Remember?"

Shari did. The camera had made her disappear when she had foolishly insisted Greg take a picture of her. She didn't even know where she had vanished to. One moment, she had been there, and the next, she hasn't. When she returned, she had felt like she had just woken up. Her parents had been frantic, even after she had returned.

"I didn't disappear," Shari said. "Well, I did, but not because of the camera. The camera isn't here anymore, remember?" She couldn't help wondering if someone else had gotten hold of it.

"Where were you?" Mrs. Walker demanded, her relief replaced with anger.

"I'm sorry, Mom," said Shari, making her eyes wide and remorseful. "I just went outside to get some fresh air."

"Fresh air?" she exclaimed. "You know all the monsters come out at night."

"I didn't see any," Shari lied. "I just couldn't sleep and needed air. That's all."

Her mother stared at her, and Shari prayed that she would believe her. Thankfully, she said, "Well, don't even think about going out again. I just woke up and couldn't find you in the house. I was just about to go outside." Shari felt grateful she hadn't gone outside earlier, as she would've seen she wasn't there.

"I'm really sorry, Mom," said Shari. "It was stupid of me."

"It was," Mrs. Walker agreed. "Go to bed now."

Shari was happy to oblige. She was tired of waiting so long, but it had been worth it. Even though the monster apparently wasn't the one who had killed the girl, it was still a monster. Not just that, but an abominable snowman. And she had met so many other kids who wanted to find monsters too. She was shaken that the girl had died in her town. Pitts Landing definitely wasn't the pits anymore.

* * *

When Courtney returned, she desperately hoped her parents weren't awake. She had left her blanket sprawled over her bed with pillows underneath so they'd think she was sleeping. She quickly returned the tools to the garage, trying not to make much noise. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her bag was much lighter now.

As she entered the house as quietly as possible, she was relieved not to find her parents. When she entered her room, she froze. She could hear her father talking on the phone in his room. At least he hadn't noticed her.

It was good that she had given some of the food to Billy, since he and the two girls would be spending the night in the school. Her bag was lighter, and she didn't have to return a much food to the kitchen. She decided to do so in the morning. She wanted to get to sleep.

Before she did, she brushed her blonde hair in front of her dresser, looking into the mirror. She decided to tie it into a ponytail. She opened the dresser drawers and noticed she had opened the wrong one, since it didn't have any hairbands. She was about to close it when something shiny caught her eye.

It was a ring. Taking it out, she glanced curiously at it. It was all black, a black jewel in a black band. But it sparkled and shone. She didn't know where it had come from. She was pretty sure she didn't have a ring like that. It was big, too.

Courtney liked jewelry, and had several other rings, though none that were black. She supposed she must've bought it without remembering, along with several other things she paid more attention to. She decided to put it on, just for fun. She slipped it onto her finger, and noticed it was rather tight. When she tried tugging it, it wouldn't come off.

She was sure it would come off soon. She might just have to apply some soap. It was only when she slipped into bed that she noticed something strange in the ring, shifting and moving, like a face.

* * *

Billy couldn't believe their luck. They managed to get up on the shed and through the window back into the school, and none of the teachers had found out they left. At least, they didn't think so. They waited, but the school was as silent as ever. Nobody panicking and trying to find out where they had gone.

"They might have found out," suggested Sheena. "They might have left to search for us. The police are probably looking for us."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sheena," said Billy, though he felt the same suspicions. "I'm sure they haven't noticed."

Billy gave Amy back her jacket, and they put the toolbox back under the floor. The axe was a bit crooked from Billy hitting the abominable snowman.

"What about the window?" Amy glanced at it. It was closed when they returned, which Sheena had remembered before leaving, and they didn't have to use the crowbar to open it getting in since it was easier to open from outside, before closing it again. But all the planks had been taken off.

"Let's board it up again," suggested Billy.

He reached up to the window and placed a plank at the top, but it slid down. He left it there and put another plank above it. He kept doing it until the window was covered.

"It doesn't look right, though," noted Amy. "It looks like we put them back there instead of being nailed there."

"It'll have to do," insisted Billy, exhausted. "I bet they won't look closely at the window. Anyway, I just want to go to sleep."

"Ditto," agreed Sheena. Even Amy looked tired.

Amy took a bit earlier of a chocolate bar Courtney had given them. "Nice of Courtney to give us her food."

"Yeah," agreed Billy, taking a wafer. "She's not that bad."

"But where will we say we got it from?" Sheena asked.

"We'll have to hide it," Billy said. "We can fit it in our pockets." "Or my jacket," Amy added. 

Soon they were all in their sleeping bags, far more sleepy than before. Nothing like encountering an abominable snowman and meeting kids to form a monster fighting group to make you tired before bed, thought Billy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s morning, and the monsters are able to stay in the city.

"What's going on?" asked Clarissa. "Why are we still here?"

The three of them had been waiting for hours after waking up. It was early morning now, but not too early. The sky was bright and sunlight was streaming in the windows.

"We should've been pulled back to Horrorland by now," agreed Vanessa. She was rather glad not to be, and to remain in her house.

Thankfully, Sarabeth had woken up shortly after Vanessa had gone to sleep, and seeing it was early, woken up the others, to Vanessa's annoyance. But since she had forgotten to wake them, she couldn't complain.

"Maybe it doesn't work while we're asleep," suggested Sarabeth.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Clarissa. "We shouldn't have gone to sleep."

Vanessa shook her head, annoyed about being woken. "I was up until dawn, and Sarabeth woke up right afterwards."

"And one of the people said he fell asleep out, and woke up in Horrorland," added Sarabeth. "Someone called Ritter, I think."

"Maybe we should wait a little longer," suggested Clarissa.

"Doesn't it take us back as soon as it's day?" Vanessa glanced out the window. It was bright and sunny, long past dawn. Well, not long, but enough past the early hours.

"Well, why are we complaining?" asked Sarabeth. "We get to stay out longer."

"We should eat something," suggested Vanessa. She had given her cat, Veruca, breakfast, but not Sarabeth and Clarissa. "I'll give you two some breakfast."

"Oh, that's very kind of you, but not necessary," insisted Clarissa.

"We might as well eat before being taken to Horrorland," said Sarabeth. "The food there is horrible."

Once they finished breakfast, they still hadn't been taken back. They ate it quickly, worried they'd be taken any moment.

"How odd," frowned Vanessa.

"Well, what are we complaining about?" repeated Sarabeth. "If we aren't taken back, we have more time to learn spells and test our magic."

"Yes, I don't want to be taken back," agreed Clarissa.

Vanessa found the newspaper ad titled Revenge R Us. The company could benefit from witches. Vanessa knew all sorts of ways to construct the perfect revenge. It was worth a visit.

"I know where we should go," she told Sarabeth and Clarissa, showing them the newspaper.

* * *

"Did you get to speak to Sarah?" asked Andrew.

"No," replied a disappointed Della. "She was asleep when I showed up."

"That's unfortunate," said Andrew. "But did you wake her?"

"No, I couldn't disturb her," said Della. She had told Andrew her story, and how she had met the Sadlers. Then she had told him her plans to apologise to Sarah. He was very sympathetic.

"I wish I had ripped the head off everyone who came to my house, so I could have a friend," he had joked.

"I'll tell her later," said Della.

"Andrew!" She saw an old, wiry man dressed in black approaching them.

"Hi, Uncle," said Andrew. Della had heard about him. He had just met his uncle again at the park. It was very lucky for them to be reunited. He was a scientist.

"Have you met another ghost?" Dr. Fredericks, his uncle, asked, his dark eyes focused on Della.

"Yes," replied Andrew. "Her name's Della."

He stared at her, excited. "How and when did you die? How long have you been dead? Can you touch or interact with people? How long did it take for you to come back?"

"Ignore him," Andrew excited at Della's taken aback look. "He's a scientist."

"Oh, sorry," Dr. Fredericks said. "That was very tactless of me."

"I met other ghosts too," said Della. "Three of them."

Dr. Frederick's eyes lit up. "You must show me."

"I hope you won't invent a camera that turns people into ghosts," Andrew joked. Della didn't know what he meant by that.

"Oh, no," Dr. Fredericks protested. "It's merely scientific curiosity."

"So was the camera, at first," Andrew griped. At his uncle's frown, he added, "I was just joking. Sorry, it was probably over the line."

"ÎNo, you're right," he admitted. "I should probably stop being so obsessed with science and experiments. That was what led to the camera being cursed." He looked apologetically at Della. "After all, you aren't an experiment or zoo exhibit."

"It's fine," she said. "You can talk to me if you want. It must be exciting to meet ghosts. I'll bring the Sadlers – the other ghosts– over as well."

"Oh, yes," he agreed. "I'll talk to you as someone curious about ghosts, not as a scientist."

* * *

Mr. Mortman woke with a start. To his shock, he was still in the library, the book open on his lap.

"Good heavens!" he exclaimed, getting up from the bookshelf he had been leaning on. He could see the sun glowing through the window. He scoled himself. He should've left earlier, instead of continuing to read.

But it was odd. Wouldn't he be forcibly taken back to Horrorland, instead of remaining in the library? Maybe it didn't work if he fell asleep. But that couldn't be right. Some people said they had fallen asleep and woken up back in the park, to their disappointment.

Well, he had to leave, before anyone showed up. He quickly returned the book he had been reading. He was almost finished with it, and wondered if he should quickly read the last few pages.

No, he couldn't. But he couldn't resist rearraging some books that were out of alphabetical order. It was a library, after all. And probably no one was going to show up. Why would they care about a library at a time like this?

That tempted him to quickly finish the book. He scanned the spines and reached out his hand for it when he heard footsteps.

He cursed himself. He should've left as soon as possible. Why did he have to be so obsessed with finding a library? He looked around, looking for a place to hide. He quickly behind a desk against the corner, behind a part of the wall jutting out and concealing it. He was a bit big for it, but crouched down.

He waited a while, and then saw a girl enter. She was blonde like the girl he had seen last night, but looked older. She looked nervous and stopped in front of a bookshelf, scanning the books. She tentatively pulled one out and took a look inside before going over to another bookshelf. She started taking the books out, scanning the covers, and placing them back in a different order.

She was rearranging them, Mortman realised. They must've been in the wrong order. How could he miss an entire shelf out of order?

At least this girl was fixing them. She even took a book out and started wiping it with a handkerchief in her pocket. Was she the librarian? No, she looked much too young to be. Maybe she was an assistant or something. But why would she come here at such an early hour, when everyone was in their houses?

Then she noticed several books that were crooked, and some that had fallen on the floor, and straightened and returned them. Mortman liked her.

Suddenly, he felt himself about to cough. He covered his hand with his mouth, but when he had a cough, it had to be let out. They were dry and heavy. He let out a low, muffled cough, but it was loud enough for her to hear.

She immediately tensed up, dropping one of the books. She gazed warily around the library. "Who's there?" she demanded in a shaky voice.

Mortman ducked behind the wall and tried to make himself small, crouching even lower behind the desk. Unfortunately, he stepped on a floorboard that creaked loudly.

The girl glanced towards the corner it came from, cautiously approaching it. She raised her book above her head. Mortman almost laughed at the idea of her using it as a weapon.

He knew he was caught. Upon seeing him, she pointed her book at him. "Who are you?"

"Put the book down," he suggested, trying to joke. "I doubt it'd make a good weapon. Then again, you could hit me over the head with it. It is quite thick. It might knock me out."

She just stared at him, confused.

"Calm down, miss," he instructed. "I have no intention of hurting you."

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I just got here," he lied. "I used to be a librarian. I haven't had much of a chance to be in one lately. I saw you fixing up those books. It was very good of you. Libraries should always be neat and tidy."

"Yes," she agreed cautiously. "I think everything should be neat and tidy."

"You're very right," he said. Trying to make conversation, he added, "The children at my library hated how neat I insisted on them being. It was even more important than being quiet."

"My brother hates how neat I am," she said. "He'd think I'm nuts for sneaking into here just to read. But then, I got distracted with cleaning."

"I did the same thing," said Mortman. "I mean, I read and cleaned up. I nearly finished a book. I must finish it now."

"Which book?" she asked.

He walked over and pulled it out. "This one."

She glanced at it. "Oh! I finished that. I can tell you the ending."

"Please don't," Mortman pleaded. "I'd rather read it."

She handed it to him. "I can't stay long. I'll be in trouble if my parents find out I'm not at home. I waited until morning and snuck out to read. I know, that sounds crazy."

"Wow," Mortman said with awe. "You must love reading."

"My brother ruined all my books," she explained. Her green eyes flashed with anger. "He thought it was a riot. I kept them in perfect condition. And it took me ages to keep them all like that."

"I'm sorry to hear that," sympathised Mortman. "He sounds like a pest."

"He is," she agreed. "I'll be in big trouble if my parents find out I'm not at home. But at least I didn't sneak out at night, when all the monsters were out. That would've been really stupid."

"Yeah," Mortman agreed, thinking about the other girl who had done so last night.

"You must think I'm an idiot," she said. "Coming here just to read. It was a stupid idea, I know."

"Not really," Mortman said. "I wish more children liked books as much."

"I got distracted cleaning instead of reading," she said.

"That was good of you," he praised. "The library should be clean. What's your name, miss?"

"Mindy," she replied. "What's yours?"

He hesitated. He couldn't tell her in case she recognised it as the name of the missing librarian from Timberland Falls. "Call me Mr. Dark." He used the first surname that came into mind.

"You know, there's a girl at my school with that last name," Mindy said casually.

"Really?" Was it Lucy? "Must be a coincidence."

He pulled a book out of the shelf. "Have you read this one?"

She scanned the cover. "I don't think so."

"Well, you should," he suggested. "It's really quite good. Let me tell you about it."

* * *

It was morning now. The sunlight shone down on the woods, the birds chirping. The sunlight felt good for Will, but he hadn't been taken back to Horrorland yet, to his confusion and dismay.

All the monsters got forcibly taken back by morning, and it was morning now. Will didn't even particularly like the park, but it was better than being stuck in the woods. Well, actually, it looked like quite a good place to take a walk, especially early in the morning like this. Maybe that was a good idea.

Will started walking, slowly because of the rough night. The dark trees were brighter from the sunlight, and the grass was wet and dewy. There was a small pond surrounded by flowers. He started to feel better. The more he walked, the more the trees thinned and the sunlight showed more. He must've been approaching the woods.

Suddenly, he saw a little boy. Will was started to see him, though not as much as the boy was. He stared at him with a look of fright, observing him until Will started to feel uncomfortable. Then he looked around as if considering running away, but instead said, "Can you help me? I'm lost."

Will was taken aback. "Uh, sure," he replied. "What's your name?"

"Noah," he said. "I'm looking for my sister. Can you help me find her?"

Will barely had time to wonder what they were doing in the woods when he felt someone pounce on him from behind. He let out a cry, but Noah didn't. He felt a blanket being forced onto him, pushing him down as he struggled. Then he felt someone grab his legs, which he tried to kick, and force them together with something rough. Then the blanket was taken off him and he saw a girl holding a rope. She grabbed his hands and tied them together before stuffing a handkerchief into his mouth when he tried to scream.

"Good job, Carly Beth," grinned Noah, though she looked unsure about her actions.

"What is wrong with you?" Will yelled. Well, he tried to, but the handkerchief muffled his words. It had been a trap, he knew. "Let me go, now!" He struggled, sure his wrists and ankles were starting to bruise.

"You're a monster," Carly Beth accused.

That made him stop struggling. "What?"

"You're a werewolf," Carly Beth accused, sounding less sure about that statement. "Aren't you?"

"He can't really tells us with that over his mouth," Noah pointed out helpfully.

Carly Beth removed the handkerchief, to Will's relief. "Tell us. Are you a werewolf? Or a monster?"

"No!" Will lied. "I don't know what you're talking about. Just let me go."

"Tell the truth, or I'll put this over your mouth again," Carly Beth threatened.

"Alright, I am," Will conceded. "But let me explain."

"I knew it!" Carly Beth exclaimed. Then she frowned. "You're a young werewolf."

Noah scoffed. "You knew it? I found out first."

"No, I did," she retorted. "You just told me first."

"Uh..." Noah glanced at Will, who was somewhat amused by their bickering. "What do we do with him now?"

"I... I don't know," admitted Carly Beth. "You didn't think that far into the plan."

"You forced me to think of a plan!" Noah retorted. "While you go to sleep."

"You didn't want to go to sleep," she pointed out. "You said you weren't tired."

Good. Maybe they were so distracted by their bickering, they'd forget about him. He tried rolling over and pulling his hands and legs hard against the ropes, to no avail.

They stopped bickering and noticed him again. "Please, let me go," he pleaded. "I won't hurt you."

"You just said you're a werewolf," Carly Beth pointed out incredulously.

"I am," Will admitted. "But I won't hurt you. I only turn into a monster during a full moon. Like last night."

That only made them more suspicious of him. They glanced at him fearfully.

"I don't like being a werewolf," he said. "I hate it. Once a month, I become a vicious monster. I can't control myself. I don't want to hurt anyone. I came to the woods so I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Really?" asked Carly Beth, wide-eyed.

"Yes," he replied. "I don't want to hurt either of you. Please just let me go."

"He is young," Carly Beth noted. "He's just a kid, like us."

"Yes," he agreed. "I'm only dangerous as a werewolf. And I hate when I become one. Please let me go."

She hesitated, then reached down and started untying him.

"Carly Beth!" Noah hissed. "Are you crazy?"

"He seems harmless," she told him. "And he's a kid."

When she untied him, he stood up. His hands and feet were turning red. "Thanks."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "About what you said."

"It's true," he said sadly. "I hate being a werewolf. It's a curse. Every month, I turn into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster. I wish I was a normal kid, like you two."

"Woah," said Noah. "That sucks."

"Well... I'm not quite normal," Carly Beth admitted. "I became a monster once."

Will stared at her. What was she talking about? "Really?"

"Yes," she replied. "It was terrifying. I started speaking in a deep voice, and attacking people and scaring them. I couldn't control myself. It was so scary. But I'm not like that anymore." Noah stared at her, disturbed. He hadn't believed her at first, but did now. He had almost put on the mask himself, but she stopped him just in time.

"Woah," said a shocked Will. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It was my own fault," she admitted. "But I was so scared. I thought I'd be like that forever. But you have to become a monster every month."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a monster?" asked Will, curious now.

She didn't reply, and he said, "You don't have to answer."

"It's fine," she said. "I put on a mask. It was a mask I bought for Halloween. And I couldn't take it off. It stuck to my skin, and I started acting like... well, the monster on the face. But I managed to remove it, thankfully."

"Really?" asked Will.

"It's true," she insisted. "I guess when you become a werewolf, it's the same way. You can't control yourself."

"Yeah," he agreed. So she knew how he felt.

"How did you become a werewolf?" she asked.

He figured he should tell her. She did tell him about the mask. "It happened in Fever Swamp," he exclaimed. "The swamp I lived in. Once, there was a great illness through the swamp, a... fever. Everyone was suffering from it.” It was called Fever Swamp after that. “There was also a strange fog that covered the swamp. All my friends and family died of the illness, except for me, but at a terrible price. Though now, I wish I would've died too," he added sincerely.

"Oh God," gasped Carly Beth, horrified. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," added Noah. He looked sympathetic towards him now too. "That's horrible."

Will smiled weakly at them. "Well, you should both go now. Leave me." Yeah, right. They'd likely turn him into the police.

"Wait!" Carly Beth cried. "Where do you live? In the woods?"

"No," he replied, deciding not to tell them about Horrorland. "I live... well, not really anywhere. I used to live in Fever Swamp, but since the monsters attacked..."

"We heard howling coming from the woods, and it was a full moon," explained Carly Beth. So they had gotten it into their minds to track down the werewolf.

"Well, you look terrible," added Noah. "No offense."

"I do," Will agreed.

"We'll get you some food," Carly Beth suggested suddenly.

"What? You will?" asked Will, taken aback.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked him.

"Yes, but—"

"And maybe some bandages," Carly Beth went on. "And maybe a jacket. Your clothes are torn."

"Hey! You don't have to do that," Will insisted, though he felt touched by her kindness. "Just leave and forget you saw me."

Carly Beth frowned. "We can't do that! You at least need some food."

"Well... I am hungry," he admitted. That was an understatement. He was starving. Though not for meat or wild animals. Well, not anymore now that the moon had left.

"We'll get you something to eat," Noah spoke up. "Just wait here."

As they left, Will felt shocked, relieved, and touched. He had never expected them to react in such a way to him being a werewolf. They had been sympathetic, not terrified of him. Well, they had been terrified at first. But then, after listening to him, they had felt sorry for him and offered to help him, instead of running away. He felt warmth inside, and decided he needed to repay them someday. Maybe they could be friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Mortman and Will befriending humans. I couldn’t think of any Bookworm in Goosebumps, but Mindy has books she keeps in alphabetical order, and she’s organised like Mortman. Will reminds me of Remus Lupin.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids wake up in the morning.

When Wade Brill woke up, she let out a cry of horror. On the shelf of her room, the teacup set she had received on her sixth birthday was ruined. All the pots and cups were smashed, the fake glass in jagged pieces on the shelf. She had recently discovered the dusty collection in the attic, which she thought she had lost forever. She had cleaned and polished it, and foolishly left it unhidden in her room.

Well, it wouldn't have been foolish, if she didn't have a brother like Micah. She had fond memories of the collection, even though she was too old to use it again. Her crush, Steve, had given it to her for her birthday, and she had cherished it and treated it like the most precious thing in the world. Well, she would've done so even if Steve had given her his chewed up booger, but the teacup collection was very nice and fancy. She had invited her friends over to have tea parties. It was a wonder Micah hadn't destroyed it back then. She had no doubt it was him.

Wade bit back a sob and ran through the house. She stopped in her parents' room. Taking a look inside Micah's, she saw he was asleep. Her father was still asleep, but her mother had woken. She looked ar her curiously. "What is it, dear?"

Wade actually did sob then. Her mother looked concerned. "Come look!"

Dragging her through the house, she showed her to her room. She saw the smashed teacups, though she didn't have much of a reaction.

"Look," Wade sobbed. "Micah destroyed my teacup collection!"

Mrs. Brill sighed. "Oh, that silly old thing? You still have it?"

"I found it in the attic," she explained. "I cleaned it up. And he smashed it!"

"Wade, calm down," Mrs. Brill instructed. "It's just a tea set. Hardly something to cry over. You're too old for it, anyway." Wade knew her mother was probably right, but it still upset her. "Anyway, how do you know Micah did this? Did you see him?"

"Well, no," Wade admitted. "But he's always doing stuff like this!"

Mrs. Brill sighed. "Wade, I wish you would stop blaming your brother for everything that happens. I bet he's fast asleep right now."

They walked to his room, and saw that he was. "See?"

"But—" Wade protested.

"Anyway, even if he did, there are more important things to focus on," her mother admonished. "Like the monsters taking over."

As much as Wade hated to admit it, her mother was right. But at least they were safely protected from the monsters, while there was no protection from her brother. She had to live in the same house as him. She thought she'd prefer to take her chances with the monsters outside.

When Micah woke up, Wade confronted him. "Tea set? What tea set?" he asked innocently, though the smirk on his face gave him away.

Wade let out a scream. She wished Micah had stayed as a frog. She had turned into one too, though the curse had quickly been removed from both of them. At least as a frog, he'd help the economy.

It was a shame. All her plans for revenge had gone wrong. Later, she had discovered it was because Micah had paid to have them all backfire on her. They had been such good ideas for revenge, if they had happened to Micah. She was almost tempted to go to Iris and ask for another trial, if she knew it'd go right this time and actually happen to Micah.

Wade hated her brother. She was sure that nobody else had such a horrible, sadistic sibling.

* * *

That morning, Michael Webster received a shock. His mother heard knocking at the door and, peering through the keyhole, was surprised to see that it was a little girl. She had quickly opened the door, and was immediately taken in by the sight of the girl. She had sad, teary eyes and a jutting lower lip.

"Can you help me?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm so scared. I've been wandering outside, and I don't know where my mommy and daddy are."

Of course my Mrs. Webster immediately felt bad for her and let her stay with them. How could she refuse to help a poor scared little girl?

When Michael lay eyes on her, his jaw dropped in shock and horror. "Tara?!"

At that moment, her sad, lost little girl look changed to a gleeful smirk. "Hello, Michael. It's been a while since I've seen you."

"You know me?" Michael gasped. "But... I thought you... I thought you were..."

"Erased from time?" she asked coolly. "Yes, I was. But now I'm back. And I know you did it. And you didn't even come back to get me. Well, I'm getting my revenge. You think I was bad before? It's nothing compared to now."

"Mom and Dad won't let you stay," Michael threatened. He didn't want to believe it. He was hoping he'd never see that face again. "They don't know you. You were erased from their memory."

"Mom and Dad were very nice to me," Tara retorted. "I just had to say I was lost and scared, and they felt so bad for me. They'll let me stay for as long as I want."

This couldn't be happening. She had been erased from existence. And she should've stayed that way. He thought he had finally gotten rid of her, after years of her sadistic torment. With a cry, Michael lunged for her, and she ran away, screaming.

Mrs. Webster came in. "Michael," she scolded. "Chasing after that poor little girl? That was very mean of you. You know, she was so scared when she came. Imagine it. The poor girl was outside. Any monster could've attacked her.

Good, thought Michael. Dread filled him from inside. Was he going to have to repeat his previous life all over again?

* * *

Zack Beauchamp scribbled down a story in his notebook. It had been a while since he had written one, and he missed it. He had to admit that he was a bit inspired by all the monsters that were everywhere. It was scary, but also exciting for him, since he liked writing stories about monsters.

It wasn't the first time monsters had come to life, either. When he had gotten that typewriter, he had written about the blob monster coming to life and rampaging through town, and it had come true. Now it was several monsters. He was writing a story about them. He had an idea that the kids teamed up to form a monster fighting gang. He was the leader.

He took a break, since his hand was feeling sore. He was lying on his bed writing. When he rested his hand, he let go of his pen, and it fell under his bed into the space between the bed and the wall. He got off and peered under his bed and saw it, but also something else. It looked like a can.

He crawled under and reached out his arm until he touched the can. He used it to move the pen. When they were both out, he gazed at the can. On the side were the words "Monster Blood".

Monster blood? That sounded like a cool idea. A monster's blood, instead of a monster. Maybe he should write a story about it.

Suddenly, he remembered it was one of the monsters on the loose. Zack felt his heart beat with excitement. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he opened the lid. Inside was a slimy green blob. Was a monster's blood green? He touched it and took a little out. He squeezed it in his hand. It felt cold and gooey. It seemed like a toy, not blood.

In fact, it reminded him of the blob monster. It was a blob as well, only green instead of purple, and much smaller. When he opened his hand, the small portion of the monser blood that he had taken seemed bigger. It now covered his entire palm. It felt warmer too.

He quickly placed it back in the can. He knew he should report it to the police, but he had a better idea. He returned to his notebook and flipped over a new page, starting a new story about monster blood.

* * *

Mindy listened as her parents yelled at her. She had been caught when she returned. She had said she just went for a short walk and came back quickly. She hated lying to them, but if she told them she snuck into the library, she'd really be in for it. They had been asleep, but Joe had woken them and told them she wasn't there.

"Serves you right," he said smugly. "Remember when you snitched on me?"

He hadn't done anything wrong. Mindy knew that now, but how could she before? It certainly looked like he had wrecked Mr. McCall's tomatoes.

"I have to say, though, I'm kind of impressed," Joe admitted. "I didn't know you could do such a thing." His approval was worse than her parents' scolding.

Her parents couldn't ground her since they stayed at home anyway, so instead they took away her phone. She had been recently given one. Joe complained that he didn't have one, but he was too young. He had eagerly asked if he could have it instead, but they refused. Mindy thought that was too cruel, since it was her only contact with the outside world now that school was cancelled, and told her parents so.

"Alright, you can have it for the rest of the day," her mother conceded, handing it to her.

"You wouldn't let me keep it if I had one," Joe grumbled. That was probably true, but she was a lot more well-behaved than him.

Mindy decided to call her friend Heidi. When she put the phone to her ear, she heard a voice that definitely wasn't Heidi's.

"Hi, Mindy. Don't scream. I'm your new friend."

* * *

Courtney stared at the ring on her finger. Inside the black jewel, she could see a face. Or maybe it was smoke. Or a face made out of smoke. Two dark eyes peered up at her. When she moved her finger, the face shifted like smoke.

She must've been imagining things. Still, she decided to take off the ring now. She pulled the black band, but it didn't even shift. She pulled it harder, but it remained on her finger. It felt very tight.

She took some ointment on her dresser and applied it to her finger, but it still didn't come off. She headed to the kitchen to put water on, but stopped in front of her parents' room. Quietly opening the door, she saw they were asleep. Looking at them, she felt sudden anger fill her.

She remembered how they had forced her to attend both ballet lessons and piano lessons when she was little. She would've been fine with one, but not both. But she was skilled at both, and both teachers loved her, so her parents signed her up. It had been too much for her, and she had quickly lost enjoyment in both. But her parents forced her to continue, showing up and cheering her on, until she burst into tears and refused to attend either of the big performances. They let her drop them then, but by then, she hated both activities she used to enjoy. Her parents scolded her, since they had been so proud of her for being gifted at two things.

Courtney didn't know where the memory had resurfaced from. She hadn't thought about it in years. But as she remembered, she glared at her parents.

And that wasn't all. Her parents signed her up for several more activities which she was all good at and her interest varied in, though never two at the same time again. They expected perfect grades, and once scolded her for getting an A- as if she had gotten a D. Whenever she passed an exam or excelled at an activity or showed she was superior to someone, they told her how proud they were of her and showered her with affection. It made her strive to be as perfect as possible.

She felt her anger and resentment towards her parents boil up. She was sick of being perfect. She quietly snuck into the room and picked up her mother's handbag before leaving. Looking inside, she gave a satisfied smile. Then she walked through the house, looking for her father's belongings.

* * *

Jed was having a bad morning. And not just because his sister died. First, he tripped getting out of bed and landed hard on his elbow. Then he spilled his juice all over his shirt. Then he accidentally slammed his fingers in the door. Yesterday, he had as well. He had cut his hand on his knife. Amy and Sara were having a hard time too, but they weren't there that morning.

It was was worse for his parents. His mother had burned herself on the stove, running her burnt hand under the water, and his father had cut himself while shaving. Luckily, their injuries weren't serious, though when they went to pick up Amy, it was with bandages. They also had bags under their eyes. They hadn't slept, both because of what happened to Sara and worrying about Amy at school. They felt guilty about leaving her there.

Jed had managed to get to sleep. He hoped Amy was okay. Luckily, there was no way she could leave the school. Sara had apparently been walking home from her art school when the monster attacked her. Her parents hadn't wanted her to stay out so late. Her parents drove to pick her up. When they did, they didn't find her, and one of the teachers, Mr. Toggle, said she had walked home. They were angry and wanted to punish her, but never got the chance. For an obvious reason.

* * *

Fortunately, no one in the school had noticed them leave. Unfortunately, the teacher who came up noticed the windows weren't quite right.

Billy thought quickly. Mr. Benson was inspecting the window, worried someone had broken in. Mis Gold was a great teacher. Everyone liked her, along with Mr. Benson. Billy felt bad about lying to her, but it had to be done.

"I opened it," he said. "I'm sorry, Miss Gold. I know I shouldn't have. But I felt so stuffy and needed some fresh air. So I opened the window so I could look outside. Amy and Sheena didn't want me to. But I put it back right away."

"Well, that was very unwise of you, Mr. Deep," Miss Gold scolded. She glanced at the window. "But how did you open it? The planks are too tightly secured."

"Uh..." Billy tried to think of something when Amy gave a sniff.

"I want to see my parents," she said, rubbing her eyes. It was only slightly an act. "I lost my sister. I want to see the rest of my family. I hated having to stay here overnight."

Miss Gold gave her a sympathetic look. "It's alright, Miss Kramer. Your parents and brother are waiting for you. They can't wait to see you. They feel terrible about not picking you up. I'm very sorry about what happened to your sister." She gave her a reassuring smile, then looked at Billy and Sheena. "Unfortunately, your parents haven't arrived yet. It's very early. They'll be arriving shortly."

"Oh, good," said Billy, giving Amy a grateful look for distracting him.

They made their way down the school, led by Miss Gold. Amy quickly ran up to her parents and brother and hugged them. Her mother and father had bandages on their hand and face respectively. Several other kids were taken away by their parents, though some remained. It was very early in the morning. Billy and Sheena were tired, since they had gotten up in the night.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Lizzy Morris cried. She remembered when she had gone to Horrorland and thought her parents had died. She was nervous about not seeing them for so long.

"I can't believe we had to stay here overnight," her brother Luke quipped. "Why didn't they pick us up?"

"They're probably busy," Lizzy assured him. She rubbed her eyes. "I barely slept, thanks to you. You wouldn't go to sleep. You kept running around the classroom. I was tempted to knock you out."

In response, he pinched her, causing her to shove him.

Suddenly, they saw a woman enter the school. She might've been one of the parents, but she looked... unusual. She was very large, muscular and hefty, with a mass of dark hair, big watery brown eyes, and huge, meaty arms and feet. None of the kids recognised her.

"I'd like to speak to the teachers, please," she said.

The kids glanced nervously at each other. What did she want? She didn't look like a monster, but was just rather ugly.

"Excuse me, ma'am," said Mr. Benson. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you a parent?” added Mr. Scotto, a math teacher.

"I wanted to speak to you about this school," she said. The kids glanced at each other again. Why would she care about school at a time like this? She was too old to be a student. "May I speak to you privately?"

"I suppose so," replied Mr. Benson suspiciously. He left with her while the other teachers stayed with the kids.

The kids started muttering. Who was she? Billy wanted to see what was going on. He started heading out the room.

"Mr. Deep!" called Mr. Saur as he reached the end. "Where do you think you're going?"

Billy stopped. He tried eavesdropping, but couldn't hear anything. What was she telling him?

Michael Munroe saw Billy trying to leave to spy on them. He got an idea. He put his hands in his pockets and clicked something inside, causing the blinds in the windows to shoot up and down. The teachers looked, alarmed. So did the kids. Mr. Scotto and Miss Gold walked over to see what was wrong.

Michael walked over to Billy. "Go."

"You did that?" he asked, glancing at the window.

"Ask me later," he said. "I'll say you went to the bathroom or something."

"Thanks," Billy said gratefully before leaving with Sheena. Michael would've liked to come too, but they wouldn't believe he went to the bathroom. He liked goofing around. He had even done that window trick before. He supposed after his encounter with Mrs. Hardesty, he should've learned his lesson, but it was too much fun. Besides, none of the teachers were like Mrs. Hardesty, right?"

"Good one, Monster," Matt Daniels told him, overhearing the exchange. They had become friends.

Billy and Sheena saw the woman and Mr. Benson talking and hid behind a pillar. They could overhear their voices. "The school is closed," Mr. Benson was saying. "Because of the girl who died. It's too dangerous."

"Nonsense," the woman said. Billy gaped. A girl dying was nonsense? "That's no reason to deny the children of their education."

"It kind of is," Mr. Benson pointed out. "I think we should've done so sooner, with all the monsters on the loose. But we wanted to act like everything was normal and go on with our lives."

"I was a teacher at Caring Academy," she said. "I made the students work hard and reach their best potential. They never worked harder than they did with me."

"That is a very prestigious boarding school," Mr. Benson admitted. "But we can't open school again."

"Just let the students who are present have a class with me," she offered.

"Their parents are coming to pick them up," he said. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Maaargh. I know you miss your job. I do too. Maybe once the monsters go away, school will be on again."

Mrs. Marr? thought Billy. What a strange name.

She pleaded for him to let her have one class with the students still at school, but he refused. She turned around, and Billy flattened himself against the pillar. When Mrs. Maaargh and Mr. Benson returned to the room, Billy and Sheena waited before returning as well.

Mr. Benson looked at them, surprised. "Where were you?"

"We were in the bathroom," Sheena lied.

"That's what Mr. Munroe said," scoffed Mr. Saur. "I don't believe that. You were probably eavesdropping on Mrs. Maaargh and Mr. Benson." Actually, he was completely right, for once. But Billy wasn't about to admit that.

"Of course not!" he lied.

"Come on, Louis," Mr. Benson said. "I'm sure they're telling the truth."

"Yes," agreed Miss Gold. "They wouldn't eavesdrop."

It made Billy feel bad to hear two nicest teachers stand up for him when he actually had done it. "Well, sorry, Mrs. Maaargh, but you'll have to leave," said Mr. Benson. "Stay safe."

Suddenly, an angry expression crossed her lumpy face, but then it disappeared and she smiled sweetly. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. And it was so nice to see the children." She smiled at all of them, and something about it gave Billy the creeps.

Mr. Saur looked sternly at Michael once she left. "Mr. Munroe, I hope you won't make the windows move like that again. You've disrupted class before with it."

Michael blushed, realising he was caught. "Sorry, Mr. Saur."

"Were you doing it as a distraction so Mr. and Miss Deep could leave?" asked Mr. Saur. He was smarter than they thought.

"Of course not!" Michael lied.

"Louis, please," Mr. Benson said. "You're thinking too much about this. I'm sure Mr. Munroe just wanted to have some fun."

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "It was stupid of me."

Just then, Billy and Sheena's parents came in. They were glad to see them. They ran up and hugged them.

"We were so worried about you!" Mrs. Deep exclaimed.

"We're so sorry we didn't pick you up yesterday," added Mr. Deep. "But at least you were safe at school."

"Oh, we were," Sheena lied.

"It wasn't so bad," said Billy. "Kind of fun, actually."

His mother looked at him questioningly. "Never thought I'd see the day you called being at school fun," his father quipped.

"Better than being outside with all the monsters," Sheena said, glaring at Billy.

"Yeah," Billy agreed, grinning. "We were safe and protected inside the school." Even Sheena couldn't resist giggling a little at this, and their parents stared at them, confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wade says she's sure no one else has such a horrible sibling, right before cutting to Michael. Mr. Saur's first name is a reference to his TV show actor. I wanted to include Lizzy and Luke before. Michael and Matt never went to Horrorland in this version.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The monsters are able to leave Horrorland now.

Quiet, everyone," Slappy demanded, surveying the loud, large crowd of monsters, discussing the recent revelation about the park.

"I said, quiet!" he yelled when they didn't subside. "Quiet, or I'll punch each of you. I've done it to girls before."

"That's terrible," remarked Della, one of the ghosts. "You hit girls?"

"Only when they refuse to cooperate," he said. "Which, unfortunately, they do quite often. If anything, they should be happy to be my slaves. Who wouldn't want to be slave to someone as handsome and funny as me?"

"I wouldn't, if you're so arrogant," remarked Keith, a normal, if eerie-looking boy, snidely.

Slappy glared at him. "Pipe down, or I'll make you my newest slave. I've enslaved boys before too, you know." Well, only on a few occasions. Jackson Stander, and Ray and Brandon Gordon. Well, the former wasn't really his slave. More his... oh, he forgot the word.

"Anyway," Slappy said, looking out at the crowd. "I know what you're all thinking."

"Oh, really?" one of the lawn gnomes spoke up. "How can you possibly know what all of us are thinking?"

Slappy gritted his teeth. Maybe being the leader wasn't such a great idea. Then again, he had dealt with uncooperative slaves before. "You've all noticed that you can all leave Horrorland during the day now."

That made them all start talking again. Slappy yelled again.

"I have no idea why, but it's certainly good news," he said. "I can leave to do my business, and so can you. Though I doubt yours is as important as mine."

That made them all start again. Could dummies get headaches? Well, at least they were all planning to leave now. Slappy wanted to visit a certain girl again. He'd threatened to hurt her family, but he didn't have to. Someone else, though he didn't know who, had done so better than he ever could.

* * *

Vanessa, Sarabeth, and Clarissa walked down the street. There were caravans and trailers instead of houses, and trash littered the street. It seemed even more empty than the other towns, since no one appeared to live inside.

Still, it was where the address said the company was. Was it even there anymore? Probably not. It probably shut down after all the monsters on the loose. It was probably a waste of time checking it out. Still, it couldn't hurt. Vanessa glanced down at the newspaper.

They stopped in front of a purple caravan. That was where it said it was. Sarabeth knocked, but nobody answered. She was about to open the door when it swung open.

There stood a black-haired woman in a purple dress with purple lipstick and black nail polish. She stared at them. "It's been a while since I've had customers," she said. "Let alone three of them."

"Oh, we're not customers," said Vanessa. "We don't want revenge. We just wanted to learn about your company. We found an ad for it." She held up the newspaper.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, come on in. My name is Iris."

They followed Iris into her caravan. There was a black crow that squawked upon seeing the three witches. Clarissa looked warily at it.

"Is that your crow?" asked Vanessa.

"His name's Maggie," Iris replied.

"I have a cat," said Vanessa. "A black cat, like the black crow."

"Interesting," said Iris. "What are your names?"

"I'm Vanessa," she said. "This is Sarabeth and Clarissa."

"Hello," said Clarissa, offering Iris a smile.

"We are witches," added Sarabeth, getting to the point. "All three of us."

"Witches?" Iris gasped.

"Yes," said Clarissa. "We just met each other. We've been helping each other with our magic."

"More like we've been helping you," Vanessa quipped.

"I'm a witch, too," said Iris.

"Really?" exclaimed Vanessa, excited.

Iris nodded. "Yes. I help people get revenge. Any revenge they want. Three options for them."

"Three options?" asked Clarissa. "So do I. Except with wishes. I give people three wishes."

"Wishes?" Iris asked. "That's a good idea. There are probably more people who want wishes than revenge."

"What people have you granted revenge to?" asked Clarissa.

"I haven't in a while," admitted Iris. "But I remember the last time someone used my services. It was a girl. She had a strange name. A very strange name." She paused. "Oh, I remember! It was Wade."

"Wade?" repeated Vanessa. "That is strange."

"Very, for a girl," agreed Iris. "But I was too polite to say anything about it." Vanessa nodded approvingly. "She wanted revenge on her brother. She despised him. He tried her hardest to make her life a misery. So I offered her three revenge options."

"Did any of them grow wrong?" asked Clarissa, hoping she wasn't the only one unskilled at magic.

"All of them," replied Iris. Clarissa gaped. "First, she wanted her brother to get an itch that caused him such pain that he would scratch and scratch at himself until he started bleeding."

"Wow," Clarissa said, while Vanessa smirked. "That sounds great," she said.

"She must really hate her brother," added Sarabeth.

"She did," said Iris. "But not as much as she thought." Ignoring their quizzical look, she continued, "The second revenge was to—"

"Wait," interrupted Clarissa. "How did the first one go wrong?"

Iris glanced at her sternly. "I'll tell you in a moment." She patted her crow, Maggie. "The second revenge was for his hair to fall out and for him to go bald."

"That's not as bad as the first," noted Clarissa.

"And the last... well, the last was a secret," Iris admitted. "I didn't tell her what it would be."

"What was it?" asked Sarabeth curiously.

"I had her brother disappear," Iris replied. "He simply vanished from existence. She looked for him, but couldn't find him anywhere."

"I did the same, once," admitted Clarissa. "Someone wished for her bully to disappear. Only I couldn't make only her disappear, so I made everyone in the world disappear."

"What?" Sarabeth exclaimed.

"I managed to undo it," Clarissa assured. "After all, we're here now, aren't we?"

"How does that work?" demanded Iris. "How can you not be powerful enough to make one person disappear, but you are powerful enough to make everyone in the world disappear?"

"I don't know," Clarissa admitted. "I'm not great at magic. My powers are rather inconsistent."

"Well, let me explain how it went wrong," Iris said. "All the revenges happened to her instead."

"What?" Clarissa exclaimed.

"The first time, she was the one who got itchy," Iris explained. "She scratched herself until she bled and could barely move. She was moaning in pain when she asked me to undo it."

"That's horrible!" Clarissa exclaimed.

"It's a pity it happened to the wrong person," said Vanessa. "But it sounds like a wonderful spell."

"For the second, she didn't go bald," continued Iris. "But she started growing hair all over herself instead. She was covered in hair. She could barely speak."

"How does that work?" asked Clarissa, echoing Iris' words.

Iris ignored her. "And, for the last... well, her brother hadn't disappeared. He was just hiding."

"So you messed up all of them?" asked Clarissa, excited. Maybe she wasn't the only one incompetent at magic.

"Well, no," Iris replied. "I didn't mess them up. I got them wrong on purpose."

"What?" Clarissa exclaimed.

"I could've made those things happen to her brother, easily," said Iris. "But I made them happen to her instead."

Sarabeth smirked. "Now, that's evil."

"What? Why?" Clarissa exclaimed. "That's terrible. Is your company a lie?"

"No," Iris insisted. "I would've given her the correct revenge. I do it to everyone else. But her brother came to me beforehand and paid me so I'd make them all happen to her. He knew she'd come to me and try to seek revenge on him."

"He must've paid you a lot," Sarabeth noted.

"He did," said Iris. "I needed the money. It's why my caravan looks nicer now."

"But that's not fair," argued Clarissa. "Why would you help someone who mistreated your client?" She trailed off, realising she had done the same thing.

Iris noticed the look in her eyes. "Wade was angry about this, so she stole Maggie." She patted the crow. "She turned her brother into a frog. But she made a mistake. She made more than three revenges with the crow. And when you do that, the fourth revenge also happens to you. She turned her brother into a frog, and got turned into one as well."

Clarissa was silent, horrified by what the girl went through. She felt guilty as it reminded her of the wish she granted. Why did her magic have to do well when it was serving the enemy of the girl who was kind to her?

Sarabeth laughed. "That's brilliant. Those revenges were great."

"Amazing," Vanessa agreed, equally amused. "I might try some of them on children as well."

"How can you?" Clarissa exclaimed. "They're horrible! Especially to use on children."

"Of course they are," said Sarabeth. "But they're also great. Besides, some children deserve it."

"How can you say that?" Clarissa demanded.

"Well, she seemed to think her brother deserved it," noted Iris. "But he wasn't exactly a child. He was seventeen. And she was only twelve."

"Twelve?" Clarissa asked. "The girl I granted wishes to was as well."

"One of the girls I cursed was, too," added Vanessa.

"And I think the red-haired boy I knew was too," added Sarabeth.

"Weird," said Iris. "I guess that's the age for children we use our magic on."

"Anyway," said Clarissa. "How could you do those horrible to that girl?" She felt like a hypocrite as she said it.

"Because her brother paid me," Iris reminded. "Don't you remember me saying that?"

"The spells are great," said Vanessa. "I'll have to remember them. Do you think you could possibly teach me?"

"And me," added Sarabeth.

Clarissa stared at them in horror. They actually liked causing children such pain. She had as well, but she didn't like it. She was trying to help her.

"This is what you use your powers for?" Clarissa exclaimed. "Hurting children?"

"Only when they ask me to," Iris pointed out.

"Only when they wrong me," added Vanessa.

"Only when I want to get them out of the way," said Sarabeth.

"Why not use your powers to help people instead?" suggested Clarissa. "You're such great witches, you could help greatly."

"Help people?" Sarabeth scoffed. "What's the point of that?"

"Anyway, what would you know?" added Vanessa, sneering at her. "You're terrible at magic. You said so yourself. You wanted to learn from us. You should be grateful we're showing you our magic."

"Not if that's your idea of magic!" Clarissa exclaimed. "You know what? I don't want to learn from you, if it means hurting people." And with that, she stormed out, leaving the other three witches looking shocked.

* * *

Will wasn't the only werewolf on that full moon. Brian's parents had sent him to Camp Thunder Lake, where the family sent a new werewolf when it was his (or occasionally her) time. It was a curse in their family. They became werewolves when they hit puberty. They couldn't know for sure when someone was a werewolf, but asked when they got home if anything different happened at camp.

Brian's parents weren't werewolves, but his grandfather was. He was shocked to find out, but happy to find someone else like him. The curse only happened once every two generations. If Brian had a brother or sister, they wouldn't be a werewolf.

His parents had explained it to him when he returned. Camp Thunder Lake was close to Fever Swamp, where there had been an illness. Well, a fever. It had spread through the swamp, killing most people, but turning the survivors into werewolves. Brian's great-great-great-great grandfather had lived there. When he left, his granddaughter had become a werewolf once she hit puberty. So had her grandson.

They had enjoyed Camp Thunder Lake, since it was one of the only forms of entertainment around Fever Swamp. So they sent their kids there, and not just the werewolves. Luckily, it wasn't in Fever Swamp, and wasn't too close to it. Brian thought it was stupid to send them there, surrounded by other kids. He hadn't even enjoyed himself, since the kids had played jokes on him, pretending to be werewolves.

Rumor had it that the fever had struck the swamp again, many years later, turning more people into werewolves and killing the remaining ones. Brian hoped the werewolves didn't have grandchildren.

Brian's parents had taken him to Camp Thunder Lake when it was the full moon. It was abandoned now, obviously, since camp was the last thing on anyone's minds at the moment. He howled there, where no one could hear him except his parents. They stayed nearby, locked up in the cabins and hating hearing their son in such pain. Brian couldn't control himself as a werewolf. It was a terrible curse.

Thankfully, he managed to get through the full moon, and went home with his parents. They didn't have to walk through Fever Swamp, since there was another way. Brian hoped no one else had such a terrible curse.

* * *

"Can I ask you something?" said Della.

Dr. Fredericks looked at her. "What?"

"How can you be Andrew's uncle?"

"What?"

"I mean, he said he died in the nineteenth century," she said. "So unless you're really old..."

"Or you're a ghost too," added Louisa.

"You know, that's true, Uncle Fitz," said Andrew, frowning. "I thought you'd be dead by now. Is everyone else dead?"

"Well... yes," Dr. Fredericks admitted. "Actually, that's another story. Another story of my scientific endeavours."

"Tell us," urged Andrew.

"I found a cuckoo clock," Fredericks explained. "It was a big, good-looking clock, with a yellow bird that popped out. There was a rumor that, if you altered it in a certain way, it could take you through time, either the past or future. After the camera, I suppose I should've learned my lesson about messing with objects, but I didn't."

"It took you into the future?" asked Andrew, astonished.

"Yes," Fredericks replied. "I tried some experiments on it, but not too many, after the camera. I found out when I twisted the bird's head as it popped out. I was taken decades into the future. Everything was different there."

"Wow," Sam awed. "We died a long time ago, too. But we at least had time to see how everything changed."

"So did I," added Andrew. "Well, I was trapped in my old house, so I couldn't really see."

"It's strange," said Fredericks. "I wasn't expecting to be taken so far into the future. I thought it would only take you a little bit. I suppose that's only true for the past. I guess that's a good thing. I didn't get to take more pictures of people and doom them. I could start a new life."

"But you didn't," Andrew pointed out. "You hid in an old house."

"I was too scared, in case someone found out about my past," Fredericks explained. "And I still had my camera with me. I was a coward."

"You were," Andrew agreed, to his surprise.

"You're right," Fredericks agreed. "Well, I learned a lesson. Not to get obsessed with science to the point where it makes me hurt people or do bad things."

"I hope other scientists have learned that lesson too," said Della.

* * *

Dr. Ritter had left Hororland before, wanting to concoct his potion again, but he didn't know how. Everything was closed at night. Well, it was in the day as well. He didn't know why the potion hadn't worked when that boy drank it, but it worked when he did, unfortunately. It turned him into a fish. Now he was human again.

It was an extraordinary potion. He'd need to find a science lab to concoct it again. He wanted to feed it to Dr. Deep and the children as revenge, even though he knew it wasn't their fault. Being a fish was no fun. He had almost been eaten by sharks several times, not to mention almost speared on hooks. He had jumped and ran and danced upon gaining his human body again. Needless to say, he wouldn't be eating fish ever again.

The most extraordinary thing when he was a fish was that, once, he had seen a mermaid. He had been swimming deep in the depths of the water when he had seen her. She had a tail for a lower body and a human upper body, with curly blonde hair. If he could gape, he would've. She had quickly swam away. If he was still a scientist, he would've captured her immediately. It was a much better discovery than a potion that turned fish huge or people into fish.

In fact, why was he even wasting time with the potion when he had spotted a mermaid? That was what he should really be looking out for. If he discovered her, he'd become rich and famous. He went to a beach and stood there, looking out at the deep blue waves. He knew he should hate the sea after being a fish for so long, but it was still a calming sight.

He should head back, though. He wasn't going to find a mermaid in such shallow waters. And he was too scared of the ocean to venture deeper. Even if he wasn't, he didn't have the right equipment.

He was about to leave when he saw someone else step onto the beach. He was a blond, tanned, handsome young man. He stepped up next to Dr. Ritter. "Wasn't expecting to see anyone else out here," he remarked.

Dr. Ritter stared at him. The early morning sun made his blond hair shine and blue eyes gleam. "Neither was I."

There was a silence, and then he asked, "What's your name?"

"Dr. Ritter," he replied. "At least, that's what I go by."

"Doctor?" he asked. "Are you a scientist, by any chance?"

"Yes, actually," he replied. "Are you?"

"Yes, I suppose," he said, to Ritter's surprise. "Or at least, I worked with them."

There was another silence, and then he said, "My name is Alexander DuBrow."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. DuBrow," Ritter said.

"I used to travel the seas," DuBrow remarked, staring out at the sea. "Or at least, my companion did. He was a marine biologist. He had a boat we travelled on."

"Really?" Dr. Ritter exclaimed. "So am I. A marine biologist, I mean."

DuBrow stared at him, surprised. "Really?"

"Well, not a marine biologist," Ritter admitted. "But I was a scientist, and I had a fascination for the sea. I was developing a very skilled potion."

"I discovered something amazing in the sea," DuBrow said. "Something incredible."

"Can't be more amazing than what I saw once," said Ritter. He was referring to the mermaid, not the giant fish.

DuBrow laughed. "I doubt that."

"Who should go first?" Ritter asked.

"I will," DuBrow said. "You can laugh at me if you want, but it's true. I saw a mermaid."

"What?" Ritter exclaimed. "You're kidding!"

"I know, it sounds unbelievable," DuBrow admitted. "But it's true."

"I saw a mermaid, too," he said.

DuBrow stared at him, his blue eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yes," he said. He wouldn't tell him the circumstances in which he saw her.

"I can't believe it," DuBrow exclaimed. "Are you joking? Since I said I saw a mermaid too?"

"No," Ritter insisted. "With all the monsters on the loose now, do you think I'm making it up?"

"No," DuBrow conceded. "I just can't believe someone else saw her. Was it the same mermaid?"

"I don't know," Ritter said. "I can't remember what she looked like. It was a long time ago, and I just caught a glimpse of her."

"I tried capturing the mermaid," DuBrow admitted, looking sorrowful now. "I thought I'd be rich."

"But you weren't," Ritter gasped.

"No," DuBrow sighed. "In fact, I met a rather... unpleasant fate."

"So did I," said Ritter. "I was so relieved when it got reversed."

"Reversed?" DuBrow asked. "Were you in Horrorland, by any chance?"

"Yes," said Ritter, looking surprised. It suddenly clicked together. "Oh! So you were there?"

"Yes," DuBrow said. "I ended up there, too. I must not have seen you amongst all the monsters."

"So we were both in Horrorland," said Ritter with surprise. "We couldn't leave during the day before. But we can now."

"I noticed that too," said DuBrow. "Well, I'm glad. Too bad I couldn't become rich and famous with the mermaid."

"I wanted to as well," said Ritter. "Well, not with the mermaid. But with something else. One of my inventions."

"Too bad we can't anymore," noted DuBrow.

"We can," insisted Ritter. "We just have to capture the mermaid and claim it's one of the monsters. Then we'd be famous, and everyone would be grateful to us and pay us."

"But the mermaid was harmless," DuBrow pointed out. "Well, not entirely..." He scowled.

"But they don't know that," pointed out Ritter slyly.

DuBrow smirked. "Good thinking, Dr. Ritter. That's very clever of you." Then his face fell. "There's just one problem. The marine biologist I used to work with, Dr. Deep, knew the mermaid as well. He'd know she's harmless."

"Dr. Deep?" Ritter exclaimed. "That was the name of the scientist I met, too."

"Really?" DuBrow exclaimed. "What did he do?"

"He mocked my potion and said I was crazy," said Ritter. "He had his niece and nephew with him, too."

"What was the potion?" asked DuBrow.

"It could turn fish huge when they drank it," Ritter explained. "And, when humans drank it, they turned into fish."

"What?" exclaimed DuBrow. "How does that work? Wouldn't it turn humans huge as well?"

"I wish it did," said Ritter bitterly. "I ended up drinking it, and turned into a fish. I just became human again."

"Oh my!" DuBrow exclaimed. "That sounds horrible."

"It was," said Ritter.

"But why would you drink the potion?"

"Uh... I drank it by accident," Ritter lied, slightly embarrassed by his past actions.

"Well, we should get back at Dr. Deep, and his niece and nephew," suggested DuBrow. "I almost killed them last time, but I didn't succeed."

Ritter stared at him. "Really? You think we can?"

"Yes," said Alexander. "We'll make a good team. Dr. Deep won't be prepared for us. We'll do something to him, so he can't tell anyone the mermaid is harmless."

"Yes, you're right," agreed Ritter, staring at Alexander. "Together, we'll become rich, and get revenge."

>hr>

Nila walked through the park with her brother. She couldn't care less about the rest of the mummies, or what the other Egyptian was doing with them.

Her brother was moaning and groaning, but he probably just wanted to be in Egypt. She did to. When they ruled again, the first thing she'd do was get revenge on the boy who had destroyed her amulet. Thankfully, she had it now.

"Excuse me." She watched as a man came up to her. He had dark skin and his hair was tied back. "Miss, what are you doing with that mummy?"

She was surprised he had talked to her. There were several weirder sights in the park.

"He's my brother," she announced.

She was expecting him to stare at her like she was crazy, but instead, his expression grew serious, as if he believed her. "Your brother? Where did you find him?"

"With a bunch of other mummies," she replied. "But I only cared about him."

"Other mummies?" He looked frightened. She supposed he was scared of mummies. But then he said, "There's a mummy I'm related to as well."

"Really?" He did look Egyptian.

"Not my brother, or my sister," he clarified. "I'm a descendant from her. The mummy's name is Khala."

"I think I knew her," said Nila with surprise. "When I was in Egypt, I mean."

"What? But how can that be?" he exclaimed. "She died centuries ago."

"I am centuries year old," she explained. She reached up to her amulet. "I'm immortal. This amulet keeps me alive. Or at least, it did."

The man stared at her, his expression darkening. "You should've died years ago. But you became immortal? That's not right. Or for your brother to be," he added, staring at him. "It goes against tradition. Everyone should die at some point."

"What about the mummy you knew? Khala?" she asked, not appreciating his opinion.

"She is a priestess," he said. "I am one of her descendants. My name is Ahmed. It is tradition in my family to kill and mummify anyone who violates her tomb."

"Oh, and it's fine to do that, but not to become immortal?" she scoffed.

"It is tradition," Ahmed noted. "What are you going to do with your brother?"

"We wil rule Egypt together," she replied. "I am Princess Nila, and my brother is Prince Khor-Ru. The first thing I'll do is have you mummified for speaking to me like that."

"Oh, really? I heard about them." A smile spread his face that made her want to slap it off. "My apologies, Your Highness. But you're a bit far away from Egypt, aren't you?"

"Well, yes," she admitted. "But I'll find a way there."

Suddenly, Khor-Ru let out a moan that made them both stare at him. "Please... let me rest in peace..."

"Doesn't sound like he wants to rule Egypt," Ahmed remarked drily.

"Oh, and I suppose Khala wants you to mummify anyone who enters her tomb?" Nila snapped.

They continued arguing, while the mummy groaned in agony.

>hr>

Mr. Fitz peered through the window. He could see a man asleep in his bed, but he didn't care about that. What he cared about was the cage he could see with a hamster inside.

It was a fat, pudgy hamster, fast asleep like its owner. It would be even larger once he got his hands on it. It'd be one of the best in his hamster fighting league. But how could he break into the house without waking the man?

Suddenly, the hamster opened its little black eyes. It scampered around its cage. Excited, Mr. Fitz knocked on the window, hoping it would notice him. It turned to the window, gazing at him with its black eyes. Mr. Fitz gestured towards himself, hoping it would leave its cage.

It turned to its owner, fast asleep in its bed, and seemed to start squeaking madly. Mr. Fitz quickly ducked out of sight. It must be alerting its owner that he was outside. Well, so much for capturing him.

He thought about his plans. Hamsters would take over everything. They'd be in the army, be wrestlers, be guard hamsters instead of guard dogs. It was a brilliant plan. They could even fight off the monsters taking over everywhere. And he'd be famous, for training them.

He was so caught up in his ideas that he forgot to leave the house. The door opened and the man searched around his house, spotting Fitz.

"Hey!" he called. "What are you doing outside my house?"

Fitz turned to him, startled. He was holding his hamster in his hand. "Sorry, sir," he said. "I saw your hamster inside. I like hamsters. Yours is very cute."

The man's gaze softened. "He is, isn't he?" He petted him. "His name is Cuddles."

He named them? Fitz didn't. He supposed he probably should. They'd need names when they had different jobs. "I like hamsters myself," he repeated. "I have a shop full of them."

"Really?"

"Yes," he replied. "It's called Little Shop of Hamsters."

The man laughed. "That's a creative name."

"So that's why I was looking at your hamster," explained Fitz. "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have." He started walking away when the man called to him.

"I'd like to see your shop," he called.

Fitz turned to him. "What?"

"If it really has hamsters, I'd like to see," he explained. "Maybe I can find a friend for Cuddles. It's been lonely for him, ever since the whole lockdown."

"Are you sure you can handle two hamsters?" Fitz asked, wishing he'd go back into his house.

"I was thinking about getting another one for a while," he assured. "I'll pay you." He reached into his pockets.

"That's not necessary," Fitz assured. Well, it wouldn't hurt to give one of his hamsters away.

As they left, they didn't notice a couple of jack o lanterns watching them, eyeing the plump man hungrily.

* * *

The lawn gnomes settled themselves on someone's front lawn. They had done so before at night, but always got taken back to Horrorland. So they wrecked people's lawns during the night, but left during the day. Actually, that was more fun. They wouldn't know what had happened, and would blame it on each other. They just wished they could be there to see the chaos.

Now, they could. Some of them settled themselves in front of a house. Others were at different houses. There were too many of them to be on one front lawn. A little girl came out. She stared at the gnomes curiously. She tried picking one up, but it was too heavy for her. She stared into their faces. Something about her face irritated them.

Then, a smirk crossed her face. To their surprise, she took out a sharpie and started scribbling on their faces. They remained still, deciding to glare at her. They didn't like her drawing on them.

Hap, or at least, what he was named by his previous owner, narrowed his eyes at her while she was drawing on another gnome. When she stepped back to inspect her work, she giggled, before gasping. All the gnomes had changed their expressions, their eyes narrowed and glaring at her, as if angry at her for drawing on them.

She stared at them before running into the house, yelling for her parents. The gnomes stopped yelling and smirked. They didn't know what she had drawn, but she probably regretted it now. If they had a mirror, they'd see how ridiculous their glares had looked. But the girl had been too frightened by them changing expressions to laugh.

* * *

Mrs. Hardesty, or Hyborg Xrxuz, her alien name, overheard the children talking, the Creeps who had spoke up about one of them being killed by a human. They were in human form now. They wanted to feed seeds to the human children outside the park that would turn them into monsters. She had the same goal, only with eggs instead of seeds. She had found her monsters in her house again. She kept checking up on them at night.

"We don't blame you, Commander," said one of them. "We have plenty more seeds."

"And I saved all of them," the Commander said, showing them the bag.

"Excuse me," Mrs. Hardesty spoke up. They turned to look at her. "I couldn't help overhearing," she said. "You need something to feed the humans, don't you?"

"Yes," the Commander said uneasily. "But they didn't eat the sandwiches. Well, they did, but—"

"I need to feed the humans, too," she said. "I need to feed them eggs."

"Really?" the Commander asked. "We need to feed them seeds."

"Seeds?" she asked. "That'll be hard. They don't eat seeds. But they do eat eggs. I feed them scrambled eggs, and it turns them into monsters."

"We want to turn them to!" another Creep spoke up. "We're already monsters. We want to turn everyone into one. Then, Creeps will rule the world."

"I have the same idea," she said. "Perhaps we could turn some of them into your monsters, and some into mine."

They frowned, not liking the idea of a compromise. "Say, what do you think would happen if we fed them egga with seeds in them?"

There was a silence. "I don't know," one of the Creeps said. "Would they turn into a combination of both monsters?"

"What do your monsters look like?" another added.

"They're aliens," she said. "I am, too. I come from another planet."

"We can show you what we look like," the Commander suggested.

"Go ahead," she urged. She watched as they transformed into purple, lizard-like creatures. Their hair shrank into their head, their tails grew, and their skin hardened and changed color.

"Quite different from mine," she remarked. "My monsters are green. Oh, I should be checking up on them. I went to my house, and found them there. My poor babies. I hope they're alright."

The Creeps exchanged looks. "Your house?" one asked. "Could you make food there?"

"I suppose," she replied. "I baked a cake last time. I was rather hungry."

"A cake?" the Commander exclaimed excitedly. "We could slip the seeds in there."

"It's probably better than the sandwiches," added another. "Since they can't taste the hard seeds."

She frowned. "You think I'll bake a cake just for you to poison it? What if I want to eat it?" When they didn't say anything, she said, "Perhaps if you did something for me in exchange, I will."

"In exchange?" asked a female.

"Perhaps you could try feeding the children my eggs," she suggested. "Then I'll bake the cake with the seeds."

"But how will we get them to eat scrambled eggs?" one of them asked.

"Well, it is early in the morning, isn't it?" she said. "Maybe the children would like eggs for breakfast."

"Yes, maybe," the Commander said. "Though I was planning on meeting them at night. Well, it's a deal. What do you all think?"

They'd have to agree with anything the Commander said, but they nodded and cheered. They couldn't wait to plant the seeds. And Mrs. Hardesty couldn't wait to plant the eggs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Deep Trouble villains finally showed up. I kind of ship them. The mummy villains met too. I don't really like Spidey going into the future, but I had to explain him being Andrew's uncle. He learned not to do terrible things for science, something other scientists haven't learned. Even the lawn gnomes don't like Tara. Mr. Fitz's section is kind of out of place.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People see monsters during the day, and several call the police, before Billy and Sheena receive a shock.

"Where did the lawn gnomes come from?" Lizzy exclaimed.

On the previously bare front lawn were several colorful lawn gnomes. The lawn itself was also messy. The grass was dirty and muddy, and the flowers had been ripped away.

"I don't know," Mr. Morris admitted. "We just found them there when we woke up. And then we had to pick you up. The lawn was fine when we left."

"We should get rid of them," Lizzy suggested urgently. "They must've came here and messed up the lawn."

A few weeks ago, her parents would've laughed at such a suggestion, but today, they nodded seriously. "Yes, it's possible. I think I heard about them on TV," Mrs. Morris said. "We'll get rid of them."

"But where should we put them?" asked Luke.

Mrs. Morris paused. "Good question. Should we call the police?"

"Well, if they are monsters, I think they could've done worse than mess up our lawn," remarked Lizzy.

"Yeah," agreed Luke. "Ooh, so evil. Do they really think we care about that?"

"Be quiet, you two," snapped Mr. Morris. "This isn't a joke."

"I kind of care," Mrs. Morris admitted. She liked keeping the lawn clean.

Mr. Morris crouched in front of one of them. "They're not moving at all. They look like regular lawn gnomes."

"The monsters only come out at night," Luke pointed out. "Maybe they can only come out at night."

"Well, why did they choose our house?" asked Lizzy. "No one else's has lawn gnomes, even before."

"I think we should call the police," Mrs. Morris said. "We might've found one of the monsters. Get inside, kids."

When they entered the house, Luke said, "So, Lizzy..."

"What?" Lizzy asked.

"What do you think?" he said. "About Billy Deep's idea?"

"Going to Pitts Landing at night?" Lizzy scoffed. "Don't tell me you're actually considering it. No, of course you are."

"It'll be fun," Luke insisted. "Besides, we just found monsters on our lawn."

"We don't even know if they are," Lizzy argued. "Anyway, if they are, I doubt they're too evil. All they did was mess up the lawn."

"I wanted to for a while," Luke admitted. "I hate how Mom keeps it so clean."

"It's called not being a slob like you," Lizzy teased.

"I'm going at night, even if you're not," Luke announced. "I want to meet the kids there."

"What?" Lizzy exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

"I am," he insisted. "If you want to stay, that's fine."

"I'll tell Mom and Dad," she threatened.

He glared at her. "You're the worst sister ever."

Yes, because I don't want you to get yourself killed, Lizzy thought. "Fine, I'll let you go," she conceded. "On two conditions."

"What?" Luke asked excitedly.

"One, you let me come," she said. He grinned. "Just so I stop you from getting yourself killed. And two, you..." She paused. She actually hadn't thought of the second condition. "You do everything I say the next day."

He scowled. "Oh, fine."

"Do you even know where Pitts Landing is?" Lizzy asked.

"Of course," he replied. "It's next to Timberland Falls."

"But we don't live in Timberland Falls," Lizzy reminded.

"It's still close," Luke said. "I'll lead you there."

"You should feel lucky I'm not telling Mom and Dad," Lizzy quipped. "They'd ground you, if we didn't already have to stay at home."

"Thanks, Liz," Luke said. "You're the best sister ever."

"You just said I was the worst," she reminded.

He ignored her. "Do you remember Horrorland?"

"How could I forget?" Lizzy shuddered.

"Well, it sounds like a good place for the monsters to stay, doesn't it?" Luke suggested. "It's already filled with monsters. The Horrors."

"It's too small," Lizzy pointed out. "It wouldn't fit them all."

"That's true," he admitted. "Well, maybe it's grown since last time. Maybe they built more parts."

"You think there are construction workers in Horrorland?" Lizzy scoffed. She almost laughed at the thought of the Horrors doing construction and handling building tools.

"It could be a good place for the monsters," Luke said. "It's scary enough."

Usually, Lizzy would've teased him admitting he was scared, but this time, she nodded. "Yes. Just imagine the monsters having meetings there and chatting and playing games together." They both laughed at the silly thought.

* * *

"Mo– Mrs. Webster! Look what Michael did to the lawn gnomes!"

"What?" Mrs. Webster turned to Tara. "What are you talking about, Tara?"

"Come look," she demanded. She dragged him outside, where they saw several lawn gnomes with beards, mustaches, and and glasses drawn on them in black.

"He drew all over them," she lied. "I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen." She didn't tell her how they had glared at her. She cared more about getting her brother in trouble.

"What?" Mrs. Webster frowned, observing the lawn gnomes. "But we didn't even have lawn gnomes. Where did they come from?"

"What?" asked Tara, confused. "Well, Michael drew on them."

Suddenly, Mrs. Webster scowled. "I know who brought them here." She entered the house, yelling. "Herman!"

That wasn't who Tara had expected her to get mad at. She followed her mother — at least, her previous mother — into the house, still eager to see the argument between her parents.

"What is it, dear?" Mr. Webster asked her.

"I'd like you to tell me what's on the front lawn," she said.

"What?" he asked. "Grass and flowers, I guess." At her unimpressed scowl, he added, "Oh, you don't like the flamingo I bought? It's kind of big, but—"

"No," she protested. "Well, I don't like that, either. But you bought new lawn ornaments, didn't you?"

"What?" he exclaimed. "What are you talking about? I haven't even left the house since all this started."

She paused. "Wel, that's true. But how did those lawn gnomes get there?"

"What? Lawn gnomes?" They went up to the front lawn again.

"Woah! Where did they come from?" Mr. Webster exclaimed.

Mrs. Webster stared at him. "You mean, you don't know?"

"No," he said. "I couldn't just walk into a shop and buy lawn gnomes. And I wouldn't buy ones that had mustaches." He couldn't resist a grin as he inspected their faces. "Actually, maybe I would. They look pretty funny."

"Michael was drawing on them," Tara added.

"I'm sorry, dear," said Mrs. Webster, ignoring her. "I should've known you wouldn't. I just assumed, since you were so obsessed with buying that ridiculous cuckoo clock from the antique store. These look like they come from the same store."

"It's not ridiculous," Mr. Webster argued. "It looks very nice in our living room. That spot looked too bare before."

"I'll show Michael these," Mrs. Webster said, returning into the house.

"He was drawing on them," said Tara, but she had already left.

"He was?" Mr. Webster asked, surprised.

Tara nodded, smirking. Finally, she'd get him in trouble.

Mr. Webster inspected the faces of the lawn gnomes, grinning. "I'll call you Gnomeo," he told one with love hearts all over his face, grinning at his own joke. "Michael can be funny sometimes."

Tara scowled. He hadn't gotten mad, like she thought. She should've told him she drew on them. Then he'd think she was funny.

"Well, I'll tell Michael the faces are a riot," he said. "Though I doubt his mom would agree." That made Tara smirk again.

As Mr. Webster left, Tara suddenly heard something coming from the gnomes. She jumped. One of them spoke up, in a deep, low voice. "Don't ever draw on us again." It would've been intimidating if he wasn't the one covered in love hearts.

Still, it was intimidating to Tara. She let out a scream and ran into the house.

* * *

Mindy disobeyed the voice's order and let out a scream, dropping the phone from her hand. Was it Heidi's brother prank calling her? Or rather, prank answering. But the voice was female.

She tentatively raised it to her ear again. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mindy," the voice said.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Emmy," the voice said. "I need you to help me."

"Help you?" Mindy exclaimed incredulously. "Who are you? I don't know anyone named Emmy." Well, she did. She was one of a pair of twin sisters, Emmy and Annie. But she doubted it was that Emmy. Mindy barely knew her. "How do you know my name?"

"I heard your parents talking," Emmy explained. "I know someone else with your name. She was the babysitter of my last owner's sister."

"Owner?" Mindy demanded.

"I live in the phone," she explained.

Mindy put down the phone. This was way too weird. She should've let her parents take it.

She went to Joe's room. "Joe!" she said.

He looked at her. "What?"

"My phone," she said. "There's someone in it, talking to me."

"Well, that's the point of having phones," Joe griped sarcastically. "To talk to people."

"But I don't know this person," Mindy said, glaring at him. "She said her name was Emmy, and she lived in the phone."

Joe scoffed. "You expect me to fall for that?"

"It's true!" Mindy insisted. She handed him the phone. "Put it to your ear and listen."

He stared at the phone. "Well, if you're going to trust me with your precious phone, I guess you must not be lying." He put it up to his ear.

After a while, he put it down. "Can't hear anything."

"Are you sure?" Mindy asked.

"No," he said. Then he grinned. "But it's my phone now." He quickly slipped it into his pocket.

"Hey!" Mindy cried, trying to grab it. Joe placed his hand above his pocket. How could she be so stupid? She should've known he'd swipe it as soon as she offered it to him.

"I'm serious, Joe. There really is a voice in there!" Mindy insisted.

"Yeah," he said. "The voices of your friends."

"Give it back!" Mindy demanded. She tried snatching it from him, and they fought over it for a while. Mindy managed to snatch it from him.

"Oh, sorry," Joe said. "I probably made the voice in the phone angry. Sorry, voice."

"I'm serious!" Mindy insisted. "And se said her name was Emmy."

"Oh, sorry, Emmy," Joe said.

"There really was a voice," insisted Mindy."

"Yeah," Joe said sarcastically. "And I'm a lawn gnome."

"You act like one!" Mindy snapped. "I think the lawn gnomes were less annoying than you."

"Ouch. That stings." Joe rolled his eyes.

"Do you think I'd make something like that up?" Mindy asked. "After all, you told me I don't even know what a joke is."

"I said you should try making one," Joe reminded. "And you would, to get back at me for telling Mom and Dad on you."

"But what about all the monsters on the loose?" Mindy demanded.

"Yeah, monsters, not voices in phones," Joe pointed out. "That sounds like the kind of lame thing you'd come up with."

Mindy returned to her room in a huff. Was this how Joe felt when she didn't believe him about the lawn gnomes? Well, she had good reasons to think he was making it up. He had a history of similar behavior, but she didn't. If she told her parents, they'd probably believe her. Yes, that was what she'd do.

But first, she put the phone up to her ear again. "Emmy? Are you there?"

"Yes, Mindy." She jumped.

"Why didn't you say anything to Joe?" Mindy demanded.

"I need your help," Emmy said, ignoring her. "I want to find others like me, in other electronics."

"What? You mean there are more like you?" Mindy exclaimed. "Are they... uh, monsters?"

"No," she replied, to Mindy's relief. "But they're my friends. You have to find them for me."

"Uh, okay," said Mindy, deciding it would be best to cooperate. "How do I do that?"

"You have to do everything I tell you," Emmy said sternly. "If you don't, I can hurt you. I can hurt you badly."

Mindy felt a chill go down her spine. Did she mean that?

* * *

Wade ran through the street. She knew she wasn't allowed to leave the house, and would get in trouble when she returned, but she had to escape for a moment. Her parents and brother were driving her insane. Her parents even said he just "teased" her because he liked her. If that was the case, she'd hate to see how he treated people he didn't like. She was sure no one else had such a horrible siblings, or such unfair parents.

Wade stopped running. She was in a swamp now. Trees and pines towered over her, and the air was hot and humid. At least she hadn't gone out at night. That was when the monsters came out.

Suddenly, her heart froze. She saw something approaching her. It looked like a person covered in mud. But they had no face and were walking like a zombie. Mud dripped off them, coating the street. It was a monster. Either that, or someone who had decided to roll around in a puddle of mud.

Wade backed away as it approached her. She tried to let out a scream, but her heart caught in her throat. To her horror, she felt that she was frozen. It was ridiculous. The monster was moving so slowly, she could easily run away. But she was stuck.

Suddenly, she saw someone else. It was a boy around her age. He saw the monster and Wade, and a look of terror crossed his face. He started running away from the monster, but stopped and grabbed Wade's arm, pulling her. "Run!" he screamed.

She didn't have to be told twice. She suddenly found her senses and started running away from the monster, both of them managing not to scream for some reason. They finally stopped, panting and leaning on each other. They couldn't see the mud monster anywhere behind them.

"What was that?" the boy panted. "I thought monsters only came out at night."

"I guess they come out in the day as well," said Wade, her heart racing.

"But we're safe now," he said.

"Yeah, thanks to you," she said. "Thanks for rescuing me. I was frozen with fear."

"No problem," he said. "I'm Michael. But what were you doing out?"

"I'm Wade," she said, ignoring his question.

He stared at her in disbelief. "Wade?"

She wished she had answered his question instead. "I know. My parents must hate me." Under her breath, she added, "And that's not the only reason."

"Well, I was outside because I wanted to leave for a moment," Michael said. "Escape from home. I know, it sounds stupid."

"So did I," Wade said, surprised. "I was sick of my brother. And my parents."

"So was I," he said, equally surprised. "Only I have a sister instead of a brother. Well, I used to, at least."

"Used to?" Wade asked.

"What's your brother's name?" Michael asked, ignoring her.

"Micah," she replied.

"My sister's name is Tara, but I call her Tara the Terrible," Michael said.

Wade laughed. "I call my brother... oh, all sorts of things. Creep, pest, jerk, monster..."

"Monster?" Michael asked. "Isn't that a bit much?"

"It isn't," she insisted. "He's worse than the mud monster. At least that was slow, and we could escape easily."

"Can't be worse than my sister," said Michael.

Wade stared at him disbelievingly. "My brother is definitely worse."

"Oh, I doubt that," Michael said, amused.

"Once, he destroyed my bike," Wade said. "He ran over it with his car."

"No way!" Michael exclaimed. "My sister ruined the bike I got for my birthday. She jumped on it as soon as she saw it."

"Wow," said Wade. "Can you believe my parents didn't even punish him? They just blamed me for leaving my bike in the driveway!"

"No way," Michael gasped. "My parents didn't punish my sister when she ruined my bike, either. They were just worried that she could've hurt herself."

"My parents always take my brother's side," said Wade. "They say he just teases me because he likes me. And he's older than me. He's almost eighteen."

"And they let him do that?" demanded Michael. "My sister's seven. At least my parents think she's too young to know any better. But your brother is definitely old enough."

"Seven?" Wade repeated. "That's so young. And she's that terrible?"

Michael nodded. "She even likes torturing our cat. And my parents think she's a perfect angel and can do no wrong."

"Tell me about it," Wade groaned. Then she laughed. "It's funny. There are monsters everywhere, and here we are, complaining about our siblings."

"Well, we still have to go back," Michael said. "My parents will kill me for leaving. So will yours, probably."

"I wish I didn't have to," said Wade. "I think I'd rather face another monster than my parents and brother."

"Ditto," said Michael. "Well, bye, Wade."

"Bye, Michael," she said. As Wade returned to her house, she thought that maybe she wasn't the only person with such a horrible family.

* * *

"What happened to my shoes?" exclaimed Mr. King.

His shiny black work shoes, which he always kept in immaculate condition, were now covered with colorful lipstick and mascara.

"That's my makeup!" exclaimed Mrs. King. "But I didn't cover your shoes in them!"

"Of course you didn't," Mr. King assured. "You'd never do such a thing. But how did they end up like this?"

Courtney smirked, enjoying their reactions. Then she felt terrible. She had done something awful, and now she was enjoying her parents' distress? That was so unlike her. How could she do such a horrible thing? She didn't know. But at the time, it felt good. It felt satisfying to ruin her father's shoes with her mother's makeup. It upset both her parents. But one person it pleased was the face in the ring. It seemed to be grinning when she looked at it.

"Someone went through my bag," Mrs. King exclaimed. "It was in my room with the makeup inside but some of it was used. Someone must've broken in."

"Yes, that's right," Mr. King agreed. "Courtney, did you see anyone else in the house?"

"No," she said truthfully, keeping her hand with the ring in her pocket.

"We have to call the police, right away," Mrs. King declared. "It might've even been a monster."

"What sort of monster would do that?" Mr. King demanded. "It seems more like something an immature, bratty child would do." Courtney scowled at that.

"Well, someone did it." Mrs. King got her phone out. They didn't for a second suspect Courtney. Why would they? Perfect Courtney would never do such a thing.

* * *

When Alex woke up, he heard a scream from the kitchen. His heart racing, he ran there and almost screamed as well. The fridge was ruined. It was sizzling and cracked, and smoke was coming out. All the magnets had melted. It looked like it had been in a fire, except everything else in the kitchen was the same.

His mother was staring at it, aghast. "What happened, Mom?" Alex asked.

"I don't know," Mrs. Hunter replied. "We better get out of the kitchen. It's not safe."

They quickly left into the living room. Mr. Hunter came in. "What's going on?"

"The fridge," said Mrs. Hunter. "Take a look. Oh, maybe don't. It's too dangerous."

Mr. Hunter entered the kitchen and then quickly left, a look of horror on his face. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Hunter said. "I just came into the kitchen and saw it like this."

"Was there a fire or something?" Mr. Hunter asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I didn't leave anything on in the kitchen last night."

"Maybe..." Mr. Hunter paused, horrified. "Maybe a monster broke in last night."

"What?" Mrs. Hunter gasped.

"Just to destroy the fridge?" Alex spoke up.

"It does sound weird," Mr. Hunter admitted. "But the kitchen didn't destroy itself." Alex almost smiled at the thought.

"We should call the police," Mrs. Hunter suggested.

"Yes, good idea," Mr. Hunter agreed, taking his phone out of his pocket.

When Alex returned to his room, he suddenly remembered something. He found the photograph he had taken last night. He gasped upon looking at it.

It showed the fridge, destroyed like it had been in the picture he had faken last night. The picture was identical to the fridge now. And when he had taken it, the fridge had been fine.

Alex's heart pounded. Maybe it wasn't a monster that had destroyed the fridge after all.

* * *

"Amy, I'm glad to see you," said Jed. It was the first time he had ever said that. "I've been having a terrible day."

"So have I," said Amy. "Well, night."

"Not just because of... you know," Jed said. "I kept hurting myself. And I did yesterday as we'll. So did Mom and Dad. That's why they have bandages."

"Sara and I had bad stuff happen to us yesterday, too," recalled Amy. "And when I went to school, I slammed my fingers in the desk, and tripped over."

"It's weird," said Jed. "It's like there's a bad luck charm. Not to mention..." He trailed off.

At the words "bad luck charm", Amy paused. "Jed, last night, I found something. Beneath the sink."

"Huh? What?" asked Jed.

"A sponge," Amy replied. "I thought it was nothing. But it was moving and vibrating. Almost like it was breathing."

Jed's eyes widened. He had heard something like that before. "Show me."

Amy took him to the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboard, pulling out the sponge. It was moving in her hand, to her excitement. She handed it to Jed.

He gasped. "Can you feel it moving?" she asked.

He nodded, running his hand over it. "It feels like it's excited."

"It's a sponge," Amy pointed out. "It can't feel anything."

"It can't move, either," Jed said, squeezing it in his hand. "But it is. It's throbbing and pulsing and—"

"Stop talking," Amy instructed, her mind going to bad places.

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Jed's head. "I remember seeing something like this before."

"What? Where?" Amy asked.

"In a book," Jed explained. "My friend Noah has it. It's a book about weird, supernatural things. One of the things was a Grool."

"Grool?" Amy repeated.

"It's a sponge-like creature, but it's evil," Jed explained. "It causes bad luck. And when it does, it gets excited."

Amy stared at the creature. "You mean, it's alive?"

"It feels like it," Jed said. It was vibrating so much he almost dropped it. "And we've definitely been having bad luck."

"Then we have to get rid of it!" Amy cried.

She tried to snatch it from him, but he held it away. "The book says we can't do that. Anyone who owns the Grool and gives it away will die within twenty four hours."

"What?" Amy cried. "We'll _die_?"

"Only if we give it away," Jed said.

"So what should we do?" Amy demanded. "We're just stuck with it?"

"Seems so," said Jed nervously, dropping the Grool onto the floor. "Ew. I feel like washing my hands now."

"But we can't keep it," Amy protested as Jed turned on the tap. "It made Sara die!"

Jed looke at her. He looked so pained by the reminder that Amy regretted bringing it up. "I don't think so. I don't think it can do something that big."

"How do you know?" Amy demanded.

"Okay, I don't know," Jed conceded, turning off the tap. "I just don't want to believe that an ordinary object in our house could've caused her death."

"Maybe it was both because of the Grool and another monster," Amy suggested.

"That's a good idea," Jed said. "But what's the other monster? Have they found out yet?" He paled with horror. "Oh, no. Amy, do you think it was..."

Amy suddenly realised what he was talking about. "Slappy?" She felt a sudden wave of anger while remembering the awful dummy. But she said, "No. I don't think even he would do that. He wanted to make us his slaves. And he can't do that if we're dead."

"Maybe he wanted revenge on her for defeating him last time," suggested Jed.

"It wasn't her. It was Dennis." That gave Amy a sudden idea. "Oh! Why didn't I think of him?"

Amy had been horrified upon discovering there was another living ventriloquist dummy, and immediately tried to get rid of him. But it turned out Dennis was a good, friendly dummy, as he helped them defeat Slappy. He was happy to be Amy's dummy, until his head fell off. Amy didn't know if she wanted to use another dummy, but as he helped them defeat Slappy, she reattached his head. He helped her with her acts, and even talked to her sometimes. Amy grew to like him. He was far better than Slappy.

But ever since the monsters, she had forgotten about him and worried about Slappy. She felt bad about it now.

"What about him?" asked Jed. He felt annoyed when he hadn't been able to defeat Slappy and learned that another dummy had instead. He wanted to be the hero.

"I still have him," Amy said. "He defeated Slappy before. Maybe he could do it again, if he ever comes by."

"I don't know," said Jed doubtfully.

Amy headed to her room with Jed and pulled out Dennis from her wardrobe. "Dennis," she said. "I'm so sorry I forgot about you."

She waited for a moment, and he stared at her with lifeless eyes, as if he was an ordinary dummy. But then he blinked.

"Dennis?" Amy asked, relieved instead of horrified as she would be if it was Slappy.

"Amy," he said. "You remembered me."

"I'm sorry I forgot you," she said. "But it's been busy, with all the monsters around."

"I know," said Dennis.

"Amy wants you to defeat Slappy again," Jed blurted out. Amy glared at him.

"What?" Dennis exclaimed. "I don't know if I can."

"You don't have to," Amy assured.

"But you were just saying he should," Jed reminded.

"I was just suggesting stuff," Amy said. "Giving ideas. You don't have to, Dennis. I doubt Slappy will return, anyway."

Just then, they all froze as they heard footsteps enter. "Hello, slaves," came a raspy, familiar voice. "I've missed you."

* * *

"Carly Beth, can I ask you for a favor?" Will asked.

Carly Beth looked at him. "What?" She had left Noah at home and told him to rest, saying she'd bring Will food by herself. He had protested, but agreed, since he had already gotten to meet the werewolf. But he was a little annoyed about how overprotective his older sister was being."

"Could you not tell anyone I'm a werewolf?" Will pleaded. He had guzzled his sandwich and water down and was now ravenously devouring the apple. So much for not wanting food. "Please? If they find out, they'll try to kill me."

"I don't know," Carly Beth said. "Maybe I should. I've joined a gang made up of kids who want to fight the monsters."

"What?" Will exclaimed. "Well, I guess that's a good idea. But don't tell them I'm one of them. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I know you don't," she said. "Well, you seem decent, so I won't tell anyone."

"Oh, thank you!" Will exclaimed. He almost hugged her, but stopped himself. "You're very kind, Carly Beth."

"On one condition," she said.

He looked at her. "What?"

"Tell me where the other monsters are," Carly Beth said. "Well, if you know."

"I do," he admitted. "Actually, they're all in the same place. I was there too."

"What?" Carly Beth exclaimed. "Where?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you," Will said.

"Please," she urged. "We need to know. I bet the other monsters aren't as harmless as you. Or as young."

"That's true," Will conceded. "Well, I'll tell you. They're in Horrorland."

"Horrorland?" Carly Beth asked. "Sounds like a theme park."

"It is, actually," he said, to her surprise. "They were all taken there, some of them after dying. They can only leave at night, and when it's daytime, we're summoned back there by some force. But now, I haven't been taken back yet, for some reason."

"Oh, thank you," said Carly Beth. "That's huge news. Even the police don't know where they are. But where is Horrorland?"

"Oh... I don't really know," Will admitted. "I left there and came to these woods."

"I won't tell anyone you're a werewolf," Carly Beth promised. "But I will tell them about Horrorland." She paused. "But how should I explain how I know about Horrorland?"

"Uh..." Will thought quickly. "Tell them a policeman told you about it."

"Good idea," she said. "I'll tell them I met a policeman on the street, and he didn't want to tell me at first, but then let it slip where he thought the monsters might be. Can you lead us to Horrorland?"

"I don't know," Will admitted. "I usually get summoned back there. But I know a little about its location." He proceeded to tell her all the places Horrorland was near and that he remembered passing.

* * *

Nicole Blake had noticed something watching them last night. She had seen the creature out of the corner of her eye. It was a fox, hiding behind a tree, as if spying on them. She had barely acknowledged it. But now, she suddenly remembered it.

What was a fox doing there? She had never seen a fox wandering the street before. They lived in forests and natural areas. Why would one be in the street?

She was thinking too hard about it, She wasn't even sure if it was a fox. She had barely glimpsed it. It could've just been a shadow.

She jumped as she heard a knock on the door. She got a silly idea that it was the fox she had seen. She lughed at her own thoughts and looked through the keyhole to see a woman.

"What are you doing?" Nicole demanded. "Ma'am," she added, trying to be polite.

"Oh, hello, dearie," she said. "My name is Mrs. Hardesty. I have cake in my bag. I knew most people would be hungry during these times, so I went around to their houses, offering them food. But none of them opened the door."

"Uh..." Nicole wasn't sure what to think of this.

"Can you open it, my dear?" Mrs. Hardesty asked. "I have cake for you. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Thanks, ma'am, but I don't need cake," said Nicole. Jordan would probably want it. He wouldn't hesitate to let a woman into their house for cake.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Hardesty asked. "No one else wanted it. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

"I'm sure," she insisted. "Thanks for offering, though. Are you okay? I mean, with everything that's happening?"

"Oh, yes," she said. "I've been staying safe. Have you?"

"Yes," Nicole replied. She talked politely to her for a while, her suggesting about a dozen more times she try her cake, which Nicole politely refused.

Then Jordan came in. "Who are you talking to?" he asked Nicole.

Mrs. Hardesty told him about her cake. His eyes lit up.

"Let me try some," he said. "I haven't had cake in ages."

"No," protested Nicole. She didn't want to accept food from a stranger, but didn't want to offend Mrs. Hardesty.

"Go ahead, dearie," she urged. "Just let me in first."

"Jordan, are you nuts?" Nicole hissed to him. "This is just like one of those stories where a kid lets a stranger in and they feed them poisoned food."

"Oh, yeah," said Jordan. "Like in Snow White."

"Tell her you don't want any," Nicole urged.

"But I do," Jordan protested. "Oh, alright. I guess you're right." He told the woman, "Actually, I don't want anything."

"What? But you just said you do."

"I changed my mind," Jordan told her. "I just remembered that we have cake at home."

"You can have more," she urged.

"No thanks, ma'am," Jordan said.

They talked a bit more before she left. Nicole let out a sigh of relief.

"Does she think anyone will open the door to accept food from a stranger?" Nicole asked. "They'd have to be really stupid. Like you."

Jordan shoved her. "I really wanted cake. But I guess it would be dangerous to accept food. I hope no one else does."

* * *

"Still care about your homework now?" Todd teased.

Regina glared at him. "It's not the only thing you've ruined."

Todd had been even more bored ever since school was cancelled and spent the day torturing his sister. He almost preferred school, since he could see other kids there. He had to admit, he was a little impressed when Carly Beth Caldwell reacted so calmly when he tried putting a bug in her hair.

Regina scratched her hair, and then frowned. "Didn't I get all the shampoo out when I showered?"

"I guess not," Todd said, trying not to laugh.

Regina ran her hand through her hair, and found that it was sticky. "What did you do?" she yelled at Todd.

"Olive oil," he replied, bursting into laughter. "You should've checked your shampoo."

She cried out and lunged for him, but then decided it was more important to wash her hair first. Without shampoo.

As Regina was taking another showed, this time without shampoo, Todd heard a knock on the door. His parents were asleep. He tentatively peered through the keyhole. He saw a boy standing there, holding a paper bag.

"Hello?" Todd asked.

"Hi," the boy said. "I'm Ricky. I want to talk to you. Can you let me in, please?"

"Uh... who are you?" said Todd. "I mean, aside from your name. I've never met you before."

"I've been going around to people's houses," Ricky explained. "I offered them food."

"What?" Todd asked.

"Most of them haven't been able to do shopping," Ricky explained. "So they don't have much to eat. So I thought my friends and I would go around and offer everyone food. I feel like a Jehovah's Witness or Girl Scout," he added jokingly.

"Well... that's nice of you," said Todd, though he didn't think it was. It seemed more weird. "But I'm not hungry." Actually, he was. He was right, they barely had any food in the house. The malls had only been closed recently, since everyone wanted to act like everything was normal, but his parents were too scared to leave the house.

"Are you sure?" Ricky asked.

"Well, a little," Todd admitted. "There's not much food. But it's fine."

"I have some," Ricky said. "Nobody else would accept any. It'd be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Well... sure," Todd said, against his better judgment. His parents would freak out if they found out he let someone into the house. But he was bored, and hungry.

He opened the door. Ricky looked around his age. "Thanks a lot," he told Todd. "No one else would let me in. I guess I can't blame them, with everything going on."

He reached into the paper bag. "Uh, I have these eggs," he said, taking out a container of scrambled eggs.

"What?" Todd said, staring at the runny mixture. "You're joking, right?"

"My friends have the rest of the food," explained Ricky. "No one accepted anything from them, either. Anyway, I know it's not great, but it is morning. You could have it for breakfast."

Todd actually did like scrambled eggs. His mom made the best almost every breakfast, fluffy and warm. But she hadn't had the chance to make them lately. He suddenly felt himself craving scrambled eggs.

"Well, I am hungry," Todd said. Ricky handed him the plastic container along with a plastic fork. It felt warm.

"Go on," Ricky urged.

Todd opened the container. The eggs smelled great. They didn't look great, but the smell made him hungrier. He felt a little freaked out by how intently Ricky was watching him, but that didn't matter as much. He lifted the fork and started eating the eggs. They tasted great, to his surprise and relief.

"It's great," he told Ricky.

A smile spread across his face. There was something eerie about it. "I'm glad you like it."

* * *

It was dusk, nearing nighttime. "We have to leave soon," Billy said. "We want to be the first kids to show up. We are the leaders. Or rather, I am."

"Who says?" Sheena asked. "If you're the leader, I am too."

"Okay, fine," Billy conceded.

They got quite a shock on the news. "People have now reported seeing monsters during the day as well. Some have found lawn gnomes appear on their lawn—"

They both gasped.

"Oh no," groaned Billy. "Now they're appearing in the day as well?"

"Now we're never safe," Sheena said grimly.

"A child was reported missing, Jackson Stander. He went to the same school as Sara Kramer, and was last seen there, the same place Miss Kramer was also last seen before her death. His parents worry that he was killed too, but it hasn't been discovered yet. Police are searching for him."

"Oh no," Sheena gasped. Neither of them knew him, but it was still shocking. "Could he be dead too?"

"No," Billy assured. "I'm sure he's fine."

What they heard next really shocked them. "On the bright side, two men have captured a monster. Some were doubtful about the legitimacy of the monster, since it is a mermaid."

"What?!" Billy sat up and gaped, his heart pounding. Sheena gasped.

"The men claim she is very dangerous and needs to be locked up. She's kept in a cage of water with no air. She'll slowly stop breathing, though it'll take a while."

"No," gasped Billy. The mermaid had been captured again. At least this time, it wasn't his fault. "We have to rescue her."

"Yes," Sheena agreed. "But how?"

"We'll tell them to release her," said Billy. "That the men were lying and she's not dangerous."

Sheena scoffed. "And you think they'll believe us?"

"I'll make them," Billy insisted. Then he got another idea. "Dr. Deep! He'll tell them to release her. He's one of the scientists hunting the monsters." He didn't know how he had forgotten all about his uncle.

"Oh, right," said Sheena. "I hope he does."

"He will," Billy assured. Well, he had eventually done the right thing and let her go. "We should call him."

"He's probably busy," Sheena pointed out.

"The mermaid could be dying!" Billy exclaimed. The gang of kids didn't seem that important anymore. He might not even go out that night. He needed to make sure the mermaid was alright.

Suddenly, they heard Dr. Deep mentioned on TV, and turned their attention to it again. What they heard next was an even bigger shock than the previous ones.

"On a sadder note, the men claimed that the marine biologist, George Deep, was killed by a monster. They were very distraught while reporting the news. It's very disheartening news, especially after the death of Sara Kramer. We advise you to—"

"No," Billy gasped. Sheena turned off the TV, gaping.

Billy sank to the floor in shock, his heart racing. "It can't be! Uncle George can't be dead!" It was the first time in ages that he had called him Uncle George instead of Dr. Deep.

Sheena's eyes filled with tears. "I can't believe it!"

Their parents walked in just then. "What's wrong?" Mrs. Deep asked, alarmed.

"It said on TV that our uncle was... was killed," Sheena sniffed.

They gasped.

"What?" Mr. Deep exclaimed. "No, you must've heard wrong."

Billy turned on the TV again, his hand shaking. "Dr. Deep was a well-respected scientist, and will be missed."

"No!" Mr. Deep cried. George was his brother.

Tears ran down Billy's face. He had always looked up to his uncle. First the mermaid, and now his uncle? Sheena cried out. Their parents walked over and hugged them.

"It'll be alright," Mrs. Deep soothed. "We still have each other."

It was like a nightmare. Suddenly, Billy realised something. The TV had stated that the men who had captured the mermaid had claimed that Dr. Deep was dead. They had also claimed that the mermaid was dangerous. They were wrong about that, she wasn't dangerous. So they could be wrong about Dr. Deep being dead too. They had only claimed that he was. Who were these men, anyway? Billy might've been grasping at straws, but he had the faintest hope that his uncle was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Michael and Wade meeting and bonding over their siblings. Dr. Deep is the second death. Or is he?


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adults face the monsters.

Dr. Deep got a shock when he woke up. He definitely wasn't in his bed anymore. He was in a dark, hot, musty area that was moving and rocking. It felt like the floor was moving. He tried to scream, but there was something over his mouth. He kicked his legs, but they were tied together, along with his arms. Panic rushed through him. What was going on? Was he being kidnapped?

He kicked and squirmed frantically. He stopped when he heard muffled voices outside. It sounded like two people. Then he saw light overhead. He turned on his back and saw that he was in a bag. It had opened now. When he saw the men above him, he gasped.

It was Alexander DuBrow and Dr. Ritter. One of them would be shocking enough, let alone both. How had they met? Were they going to do something terrible to him?

"Hello, Dr. Deep," Dr. Ritter said in a friendly voice that that made Dr. Deep bristle. "How're you doing?"

What kind of question was that? He tried talking, but his mouth was covered.

"Been a while since we've met, George," Alexander remarked. "Hope it's not too stuffy in that bag."

He tried talking again, his words furious and muffled. "Oh, sorry," said Alexander. "How rude of us." He uncovered his mouth.

"Let me go right now," Dr. Deep demanded. "I'll call the police, and you'll both be locked up."

Dr. Ritter shook his head. "Why would we let you go if you're going to call the police on us? That's not too smart, Dr. Deep."

"Okay, I won't call the police," he conceded. "Just let me go. I don't know what you want with me—"

"We didn't want to do this," said Alexander, though the malicious glint in his blue eyes said otherwise. "But we have no choice."

"Yes you do!" Dr. Deep cried. "Let me go. I'm sorry about what happened before, but—"

"But if we let you go, you'll tell everyone about the mermaid," Dr. Ritter said.

Dr. Deep stared at him, shocked. How did he know about the mermaid? Alexander must've told him. But how did they know each other?

"We've captured the mermaid," Alexander explained. "Again."

"What?" Dr. Deep exclaimed. "Capturing me isn't enough?"

"We had to capture you as well," Dr. Ritter said. "After the mermaid."

"You're lying," Dr. Deep accused in a shaky voice. "You haven't captured her."

"She's on the boat too," Alexander said. "You can see if you want."

"What? Boat?" Dr. Deep demanded. So that was why the ground felt like it was moving. He looked beyond the bag and could make out the blue sky overhead.

"Don't worry, we have enough water to keep her alive," Dr. Ritter said. "For a little while, anyway."

"But why did you have to capture me?" Dr. Deep demanded, his heart sinking at the "little while" part.

"Because you know the mermaid is harmless," Alexander explained. "You'd ruin our plan. We'll tell everyone she's one of the monsters, and then she'll be locked up, and we'll become rich and famous."

Dr. Deep stared at the men in disgust. "You're sick," he declared. "That's all you care about? Being rich? You'd capture an innocent creature and lie to everyone to become rich?"

"Well, it's one of the reasons we captured you," Dr. Ritter said. "Another is for revenge."

"Revenge?" Dr. Deep exclaimed.

"It must be difficult being cooped up in that bag," said Alexander. "How rude of us. Let's let you out."

The men dragged him out, and he fell hard onto the deck of the boat, his arms and legs tied. Pain shot through his body, but he felt better being in the open sea air. He forgot how much he had missed being on a boat. Now only if the circumstances were different...

"Should we untie him?" Dr. Ritter asked Alexander.

"Maybe," he replied. "It's not like he can go anywhere."

"He could try knocking us out," Ritter pointed out. "Besides, it'll be easier to throw him off the boat without him being able to struggle."

Dr. Deep's heart pounded, and he felt dizzy. Was this how he was going to die?

"You'll be locked up," he accused. "When they find out you murdered me, they'll arrest you."

"But they won't find out," Alexander said. "We'll tell them you were killed by a monster. Very tragic. I expect there'll be a big tribute."

"Your niece and nephew will be devastated," Dr. Ritter added, sounding gleeful about the idea.

"My niece and nephew," Dr. Deep said suddenly. "They know the mermaid is harmless. And they won't believe I died."

"But you will die," Dr. Ritter pointed out. "Just not by a monster, as we'll claim."

"And who would believe two children?" Alexander added.

The men lifted him up and dragged him over the railing. Dr. Deep stared down at the deep blue of the sea, his heart dropping. "Please, don't do this," he begged, trying to keep his voice calm. "You wouldn't drown an innocent man, would you?"

"Don't you like the sea?" Alexander mocked.

"Yes, but not being drowned!" Dr. Deep retorted. He almost laughed at the irony. A marine biologist drowning...

"I had to swim in there too," Dr. Ritter pointed out. "At least you're still human."

"You're the one who drank the potion!" Dr. Deep retorted.

"Well, that's true," Dr. Ritter admitted. "And fish can swim. Better than humans. Maybe you're a good swimmer, but I doubt you can swim this deep. Not without a snorkel.

"Farewell, Dr. Deep," said Alexander.

Dr. Deep barely had time to scream as he felt himself thrown off the boat. The wind whipped in his face for the briefest moment before he fell into the sea.

The icy cold water enveloped him, and he felt himself sinking. He kicked and thrashed, but was too tied up to swim. The encompassing water entered his eyes and ears, choking him. The air quickly left his lungs. His chest felt weak, and he was sure that at any moment, he would stop breathing.

He closed his eyes tightly, feeling too cold and weak to even move. Was this how he was going to die?

He thought of how he had been helping the other scientists with the monsters. They hadn't been able to get far, but he had made friends with a few. He thought about his boat, the Cassandra, and how much he had loved it. He thought about studying to be a marine biologist, and how excited he was to be. He thought of his brother. And he thought of his niece and nephew.

Billy wanted to be a marine biologist, just like him. He pretended to be a famous undersea explorer, finding monsters under the water and swimming to new places. He loved visiting his uncle and being on the boat and in the water. He always made his uncle laugh whenever he visited. Sheena was more grounded, but was smarter. She didn't like the sea as much, but knew several facts about it. George sometimes thought she knew more than him.

And now, he'd never see them again. He felt the last of the air leave his lungs. He was satisfied with all he had done in his life, but he wished he could see his niece and nephew again, one last time.

Ben Hassad saw the most astonishing sight on the beach. He and his daughter Sari had just arrived after their flight, and Sari had wanted to stop at the beach for a swim. It was hot in both Egypt and on the flight, and she was longing to cool down. Ben refused, wanting to arrive at his sister's house and help the police as soon as possible, but she had eventually gotten her way. She always seemed to with him.

Sari asked her father to join her in the ocean. He initially refused, but then agreed. He was hot as well. She pinched his leg under the water, like she had done to Gabe, pretending to be the scarab beetle. Ben thought that was a little mean, but he couldn't deny it was funny to watch Gabe scream and panic. He was so easy to scare.

Then she challenged her father to see who could swim the furthest. She loved turning everything into a competition. If Gabe was there, she'd do it with him as well. Ben warned her to be careful, but couldn't resist joining in. She swam much further than him, but he wasn't worried about her. She was an excellent swimmer.

"Sari, come back," Ben called. He decided it was time to head to Gabe's house.

She ignored him, swimming further. He was starting to get concerned about her now. "Sari! Don't go too far."

She didn't seem to hear him. He started swimming after her when he saw her disappear underwater.

His heart racing, he swam towards his daughter, but then heard something shooting through the water. His heart leapt. Was it an animal? A shark? He resurfaced and scanned the water, and could see something moving underneath. He also saw Sari resurface, to his relief.

He stayed completely still, watching the figure in the water. When the water became more shallow and it came into view, he gaped.

It was a girl. At least, that was how it looked at first. She had long black hair and was dragging someone through the water with her. It looked like a man. He appeared to be unconscious. Was she saving him?

Then, as she swam onto the shore with the man, Ben couldn't believe what he was seeing. The lower half of her body appeared to be a tail. A fish tail, the scales glimmering in the sunlight.

Sari was gaping at the sight too. The girl lowered the unconscious man onto the shore. She inspected him carefully. It reminded her of The Little Mermaid.

Ben started swimming towards them. He wasn't sure whether to be more concerned by the half-fish girl, or the unconscious man. When he was there, he gazed in awe at the sight. The girl was looking down at the drenched, unmoving man lying on the shore, her scaly blue tail flicking.

Sari had returned too. They both stared. Ben was the first to break the silence. "Hello?"

She didn't acknowledge him. Ben tentatively reached out and placed a hand on her back. She turned around, staring at him with wide blue eyes.

"Hello," said Ben awkwardly. "Who... is that man okay?"

That was a stupid question. Obviously he wasn't. The girl just stared at him curiously, flicking her tail.

"You rescued him," said Ben.

She continued to stare at him.

"What's your name?" Sari asked. When she didn't reply, she said, "I don't think she understands us."

"She's a... a mermaid," Ben breathed. He felt his scientist side growing excited. It was an even greater discovery than the mummies. After all, at least mummies were known to exist, if not live ones.

The mermaid suddenly looked very pale, and her breathing became quick and ragged. Suddenly, she slipped off the shore and dived back into the water.

"Hey!" Ben called. "Come back!"

She swam swiftly and quickly through the water, staying underneath, until they couldn't make her out anymore. Ben stared after her for a moment before turning his attention to the unconscious man.

"Daddy, I can't believe it," said Sari. "Did we really see a mermaid?"

Ben ignored her. He was slightly disappointed by her leaving, but there was no time to focus on that too. The man lay on the shore, unmoving. Ben checked for a heartbeat. He was breathing, but very faintly.

"Maybe she can't stay above water for long," Sari suggested, seeming more interested in her than the man. "Or she'll lose air. That's why she went back underwater."

"He's barely breathing." Ben checked his pulse. "He must've drowned."

Sari finally noticed him. "We should call a doctor."

"No time," Ben said, pumping his chest. "Sari, I need your help. Tilt his head back and lift his chin."

She did as instructed. Ben continued pumping his chest. After a while, he saw the man's chest rise. He gave a little cough, and Ben immediately stopped, observing him carefully.

He coughed some more, and vomited out some water. Then he blinked and he opened his eyes, looking shaken.

"You're awake!" exclaimed a relieved Ben.

"What..." the man said in a throaty voice. "Where am I?"

"Can you sit up?" Ben helped him sit up. He stared at him. Then, a smile spread across his face.

"I don't believe it," he said, sounding relieved. "I'm alive!"

"We didn't know if you were," Ben admitted.

"Daddy saved you," Sari said.

The man stared at him. "You... saved me?"

It sounded like he had been the one to pull him out of the water. "Sari, get him water," Ben instructed. "And a blanket."

"No," the man said as she hurried to find the water bottle. "I've had enough water."

Ben laughed. "You can make jokes after drowning?"

He accepted the water from Sari despite his words and chugged it down. He wrapped the towel around his body. Then he groaned. "Oh, I remember now. It was so horrible."

"You drowned, didn't you?" Ben asked. He felt stupid for asking. Obviously he had.

"And... you saved me?" he asked in disbelief.

"No," said Ben. "Well, I helped. I helped you start breathing again. But someone else saved you." Ignoring his questioning look, he said, "I'm Ben Hassad, and this is my daughter Sari."

"I'm George Deep," he said.

"What happened?" Ben demanded. "How did you drown?"

"Someone tried to drown me," said George.

"What?" Ben exclaimed. Sari gasped.

"Two men," he explained. "They tossed me into the ocean."

"That's horrible!" Ben exclaimed. At first, he had thought a monster had something to do with him drowning. But it was human men, apparently. "We should call the police, right away. What are their names?"

"Alexander DuBrow." It sounded like it hurt for him to speak. Ben supposed he should call the ambulance as well. "And Dr. Ritter."

"Sari, get the phone," Ben instructed.

"What saved me?" George asked, drinking more water. He made a face, as if he didn't like having more water enter his body.

"I... I don't know," Ben admitted. "There was a girl in the water, carrying you. She brought you to the shore."

"What?" George exclaimed. "A girl?"

"I think it was," said Ben. "But... she was strange."

"Strange?" George asked. "How, exactly?"

"You're not going to believe this," Ben said. "But... she didn't have legs. She had... something else instead."

"Something else?" George's eyes widened. "Did she have a tail?"

"Yes," Ben said, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Was she a mermaid?" George demanded. He looked relieved for some reason.

"She looked like she was," Sari said, handing her father the phone. "She had a fish tail."

"What did she look like?" George demanded, sounding excited. "Other than the tail?"

"She had black hair," Sari said.

"Black hair?" He sounded disappointed. "Oh. It couldn't be the mermaid I met, then."

"You met a mermaid?" Sari exclaimed.

"Yes," said George. "I'm a marine biologist. Dr. Deep. My niece and nephew and I found a mermaid in the sea, once."

"No way," Ben gasped. "Was it the same one who rescued you?" He felt stupid. He had just said it wasn't.

"No," said George. "She had blonde hair, not black. Anyway, the men who drowned me have a terrible plan. I mean, aside from drowning me. We need to call the police, right away. They can't get away with it."

Ben didn't need to be told twice. He took the phone from Sari.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Hassad," George said suddenly. "The mermaid might have saved me, but you certainly helped. I might have still been lying there, unconscious, if not for you."

"It's fine," said Ben dismissively. "Call me Ben."

"It's not," George insisted. "If there's any way I can repay you, let me know."

"It's a good thing my daughter wanted to stop at the beach," Ben remarked. He wiped his hands on the sand, not wanting to use the phone while they was wet. "If we didn't, we wouldn't have found you."

George looked at Sari. "Thank you as well."

"It's nothing," she said.

"You know, it's funny," George remarked. "I'm a marine biologist. And I drowned. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Oh, you're a scientist too?" Ben asked, surprised he could joke about what had just happened. "I'm an archaeologist. I just flew here from Egypt."

"What?" George exclaimed. "They're letting people fly here?"

"Well, they made an exception for me, since I'm helping with the monsters," Ben explained. "I've had previous experience with them."

"Oh, really?" asked a curious George.

"I'll tell you later," said Ben. "Right now, we should call the police."

Mr. Murphy patted the hamster in his pudgy hand. He had gotten a little distracted by all the hamsters in the store, and helped Mr. Fitz take care of them. Mr. Fitz didn't have the heart to remind him that he had just come in to buy a friend for his hamster.

"What's this one called?" Mr. Murphy asked, petting her head.

"She doesn't have a name," said Mr. Fitz.

Mr. Murphy looked at him. "What?"

"None of them do," Mr. Fitz said.

"Oh," said Mr. Murphy. "Well, I think this one should be named Star. She has a white star on her head."

It didn't look like a star to Mr. Fitz. It looked like a misshapen blob.

"Well, will you take her home?" Mr. Fitz asked, eager for him to leave. "She can be your hamster's friend."

"Yes, I think so," said Mr. Murphy. He picked up his hamster from his pocket and cupped his hands together, letting the two hamsters meet. They stared curiously at each other. Star head-butted Cuddles, causing him to glare at her.

"Looks like they're hitting it off," Mr. Fitz joked. "Anyway, you should be leaving now, Mr. Murphy."

"Do the hamsters need more food or water?" Mr. Murphy asked.

"No," said Mr. Fitz, smiling at the "water" part. The man would be a good assistant in his shop, with how enthusiastic he was. But he didn't want to take chances, after last time. "I'll take care of it."

As Mr. Murphy left, Mr. Fitz poured more of the Vito-Vigor into the little water bowls. He had given some to "Star" as well. Mr. Murphy was in for quite a shock. He was, but not just because of the hamster.

Mr. Benson heard shrill screams coming from outside. He stood up in fear, his heart racing. Had a monster broken in? But how was that possible? They only came out at night, and it wouldn't be able to get up to a higher level without someone shooting or capturing it.

He grabbed a knife from the kitchen, knowing how weak it was as defense, and left his room. He saw people in the street, screaming and panicking, surrounding one of the houses.

"There's a monster!" a boy holding a paper bag screamed. "It's in someone's house!"

There was the sound of something moving loudly and clumsily inside one of the houses. A girl and her parents were standing right outside the door, looking even more panicked than the rest. "Our son's in there!" the woman exclaimed. "The monster could've gotten to him!" Mr. Benson's heart dropped.

"Keep calm," instructed a man holding a gun. They heard thumping and growling sounds from behind the door.

"Put the gun down," a young blonde girl said. "Let's just get out of here. Everyone run."

"My brother's in there!" the girl protested.

A few people had already run out, but some stayed. Suddenly, everyone screamed as the door of the house was burst open, nearly falling on top of a few people. Behind the door was the monster. It had scaly, bumpy green skin, a long snout, and claws. It entered the street, groaning and grunting, causing everyone to run away.

While everyone was running away, one boy yelled, "Wait! I know the monster!" Mr. Benson saw that it was Michael Munroe.

Everyone ignored him and ran off, but Mr. Benson was curious about his words. What did he mean? He stayed behind as everyone else ran away.

"What do you mean?" he asked Michael.

"I saw a monster like that before," explained Michael. The monster was now wandering the street, groaning unhappily. "Actually, I was turned into that monster."

"What?" Mr. Benson exclaimed. The monster stopped and stared intently at Michael.

"It was one of my other teachers," explained Michael. "The one at my old school. She fed me eggs, and they turned me into a monster, just like that one."

The monster started moving its head frantically, as if nodding.

"What?" Mr. Benson exclaimed. "You're saying this monster used to be a person?"

"It's possible," said Michael, looking nervously at it. "But it might not be. There were a bunch of other monsters the teachers had, and they weren't people before. But this one seems like it is." The monster started nodding frantically, trying to speak.

"Who was this teacher?" Mr. Benson demanded.

"Mrs. Hardesty," explained Michael. "At least, that's what she said her name was. But she was really an alien." He glanced at the monster. "Looks like she's trying to turn more people into them." The monster seemed confused now.

"If it did use to be a person, can we reverse it?" asked Mr. Benson.

"Yes," said Michael. "I'm human again now. But we need to find the eggs it was fed."

The monster walked up to the apartment it had come out of and gestured inside. "Yes, you came out of there," said Mr. Benson. "They said their son was trapped inside their."

The monster started gesturing wildly to himself. "What?" asked Michael. "Wait. You're the son?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Wait!" Michael exclaimed. "You're Todd Barstow?"

"What?" Mr. Benson exclaimed. His parents and sister did look familiar. "Mr. Barstow, is that you?"

The monster nodded frantically, groaning.

"We have to reverse it," said Mr. Benson. He didn't like Todd Barstow much. He reminded Mr. Benson of Brandon Plush. That boy had been a bully, delighting in scaring others. Mr. Benson had tried his hardest to teach him compassion and empathy, but it had never worked. Then he had died while trying to jump across a ravine. Mr. Benson hadn't liked that one of his students had died, and had been saddened that he hadn't managed to teach him to change his ways, but he wasn't too saddened by his death itself, as much as he hated to admit it. Brandon had even broken into his house and trashed it. Mr. Benson supposed it was revenge for giving him detention. Todd was very similar to Brandon. He liked scaring people too. He had once put a mosquito in Sarah Maas's hair, causing her to nearly have a panic attack. She was very sensitive.

Michael didn't like him, either. He liked jokes too, but thought Todd went too far. He once pulled a joke in class and then blamed Michael for it. Michael hadn't snitched on him, and had gotten into severe trouble with the teacher. Then he had become friends with Matt Daniels, since a similar thing happened to him.

Still, they had to turn him back. "How do we turn him back, Mr. Munroe?" Mr. Benson asked.

"I ate the eggs," Michael said. "That's how I turned back."

"What?" Mr. Benson demanded. "You turn back by eating more eggs?"

"It sounds weird," Michael admitted. "But it worked. We have to find the eggs he was fed."

"But how do we do that?" Mr. Benson demanded.

Just then, the monster, or Todd, let out a groan, sounding more impatient than scared. He grabbed Michael and forced something down the back of his shirt with his clawed green hand. He screamed and wriggled while the monster let him go. Mr. Benson was about to help him when he saw a dead bug fall out of his shirt.

Michael noticed it too. "It's definitely Todd," he said. He glared at him. "Did you do it to prove you were you? Because we already know you are."

The monster seemed amused now, his black eyes twinkling. His fangs curled into an amused grin.

"Yes, it's him," sighed Michael. Maybe he deserved to be kept as a monster for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Sari arrived. I like Ben meeting Dr. Deep. Todd and Brandon are similar.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slappy starts visiting his slaves, and some of the kids head to Pitts Landing with the evil camera.

Amy stared in horror at the dummy she hadn't seen for so long, his blue eyes flashing with excitement and his lips curled into a smug smile. She was too terrified to speak. Luckily, Jed wasn't.

"MOM! DAD!" he screamed.

"Pipe down, unless you want a taste of my wooden fist," Slappy growled, raising his hand.

"Don't threaten my brother!" Amy snapped.

Slappy looked at her. "Hello, Miss Kramer. It's been a while since we've met."

"Leave me alone!" Amy demanded. "Get out of our house!"

"Now, now, Miss Kramer," Slappy scolded. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

Then he looked at Dennis. "Oh, hey there, Dennis. Haven't seen you in a while either," he said casually, as if greeting an old friend over coffee. "I can't quite remember what happened between us last time."

"He kicked your ass," Amy snapped.

Slappy mock gasped. "Language," he chided.

Just then, Amy's parents burst up. Upon seeing Slappy, they froze as well.

Slappy froze too, and slowly turned around. He smirked upon seeing Amy's parents. "Why, hello," he said casually. "Mrs. Kramer, have you gained weight? It looks like it. Mr. Kramer, has your cooking improved? Amy thinks it's terrible, but she's too polite to tell you.

Amy blushed. She didn't know he had heard her say that. Her parents looked embarrassed by the insults, but were more concerned about getting rid of him.

"Leave right now, or we'll calling the police," Mr. Kramer threatened.

"You'll call them even if I do," Slappy pointed out. Mr. Kramer hesitated. That was true.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," Slappy claimed. Amy scoffed. "I just want to talk to Amy. Just leave, and we'll have a quick little chat."

"Leave her alone!" Mrs. Kramer demanded. "Get out of our house."

"I said, I just wanted to chat," Slappy repeated. "Not to you, to Amy."

"And I said, leave her alone!" Mrs. Kramer demanded. "Don't say a word to my daughter, after what you did last time."

"What I did?" Slappy scoffed. "You were the ones who wanted to send her to a shrink." They winced at the reminder.

"Leave us alone," Jed spoke up, to Amy's surprise. "Don't do anything to my sister. If you do, I'll fight you!" Amy had a feeling he wanted to make up for not defeating Slappy last time.

"I'd like to see you try, punk," Slappy told him with a sneer.

"Leave us alone!" Amy cried. "You killed my sister! Isn't that bad enough?"

Slappy stared at her. There was a silence. "What are you talking about, Amy? I didn't kill her. Why would I when I could make her my slave? Granted, I'm not as interested in her as I am in you, but—"

"Oh." As much as she hated to admit it, she thought he was telling the truth. "Then who did?"

"I don't know," Slappy claimed.

"Liar!" Amy cried. "You have to know."

"Why, because I met her once before?" Slappy scoffed. "I told you I could hurt your family if you didn't become my slave, but I didn't need to. Someone else did better than I ever could."

Suddenly, Dennis lunged for him. Slappy dodged almost lazily, before grabbing his throat and squeezing.

"Let him go!" demanded a furious Amy.

Slappy looked at her casually while Dennis gasped. "I'd like to have a little chat with you, Amy."

"Okay, okay!" she said. "Just let him go!"

Slappy let Dennis go and he fell to the ground. Amy started for him, concerned, but Slappy placed his black shoe on his wooden head and spoke to him. "You were jealous of me, weren't you, Den? That's why you attacked me. Jealous Amy abandoned you for me. Who can blame her? I am far better. You were a lame dummy."

"Don't listen to him, Dennis!" Amy yelled at Dennis, surprised by Slappy's words. Had Dennis really felt that way? "Get your foot off him, Slappy!"

He obliged, causing Dennis to roll over and massage his head. He addressed Amy. "Now, Amy... you're the first of my slaves I've visited."

"The first?" Amy exclaimed. Were there others like her?"

I've had so many of them," Slappy claimed. So there were. Did they almost have their lives ruined by him too? "I'll visit the others as well. Soon, I'll gather them all, and they'll all be my slaves."

Amy felt a chill run down her spine at the words, but scoffed, not wanting to show fear in front of him. "Maybe you shouldn't reveal your diabolical villain plan in front of us?" She gestured to her parents. "Thanks for the information, though. We'll be sure to call the police on you and tell them all about your plan." She was surprised by her own nerve.

"See, that's why I like you, Amy," Slappy said. "You have spunk. But it doesn't matter who you tell. My plan will prevail." He turned around and left, his shoes clanking on the floor as they watched him warily, too scared to move.

There was a long silence. "Is he gone?" asked Jed nervously.

"Let's check," Mrs. Kramer suggested. Their parents headed down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Dennis spoke up.

She looked at him. "What? Why?"

"I didn't do anything useful," he said. "I didn't defeat Slappy like you wanted."

"It's alright, Dennis." She stroked his head. "You tried. I didn't want you to be in danger of him. Were... were you really jealous of him?"

Dennis looked away, embarrassed.

"Don't be," Amy assured. "You're a better dummy than he ever was. Even when you were old and worn, you were better than him."

"He was new and fixed," said Dennis. "His paint was smoother, and his wood was shinier."

"He was only better on the outside," said Amy. "You're a better dummy. And he's not even that good-looking. Now that I think about it, he's kind of ugly." More like evil-looking.

Dennis smiled as she hugged him. Amy's parents came back up. "He's not there," her father reported.

"We should call the police," said Mrs. Kramer, pulling out her phone.

Amy was angry Slappy had returned, but also relieved that he had left without doing anything. She was slightly confused why he had just told her his plan without doing anything, though. Maybe he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything and wanted to gather the other slaves. She hoped he wouldn't succeed. She wouldn't let him ruin her life again, or other people's.

Several strange things happened following the ruined shoes. Someone smashed Mrs. King's porcelain vase and ripped her expensive silk dress. Someone clogged the drain and went through the garage.

"Someone's been here!" Mr. King exclaimed. The tools were scattered over the ground, and buckets of gas and paint were spilled over them.

"We already called the police," Mrs. King pointed out. "They said we should be careful."

"We should call them again," said Mr. King. "We have proof someone broke in. Not like the other things, which were just silly. This is huge."

Courtney fought a smirk. Her parents never suspected her. All the while, the smoky face in the ring became clearer and more excited.

"This person might do something to Courtney," said Mrs. King, making a face at her precious vase and dress being called silly. Courtney almost laughed at that. "Don't be scared, dear. We'll be fine." Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder.

That made Courtney feel guilty. How could she do such terrible things? It wasn't like her. She used to be so perfect. What happened to her?

* * *

"What should I do?" asked Mindy. She didn't want to offend this voice.

"You have to find friends for me," said Emmy. "Others like me, trapped in electronics. I'll tell you when I'm getting a signal."

"Others like you?" asked Mindy. "Who are they?"

"They're AIs, like me," said Emmy.

"AIs?" Mindy gasped.

"Yes. I'm just a voice. A mistake," Emmy said, her robotic voice sounding forlorn for a moment. Then it got back to normal. "You have to find others. Others to be my friends. When I get a signal, you have to get the device for me."

"I can do that," Mindy said. "Uh... when do you get a signal?"

"I don't know," said Emmy. "Sometimes I think I can sense someone like me in another device."

"You think?" Mindy repeated. "So you don't know for sure?"

"No," Emmy admitted. "You'll have to get the devices for me, and then I'll see if my signal was correct"

"Uh, okay," said Mindy. "But why do you want them?"

"I just told you, twice," Emmy said, sounding annoyed. "Pay attention. I want friends."

"But I thought you wanted to be my friend," Mindy pointed out. "Why do you want me to find other friends for you?"

Emmy was silent, seeming taken aback by Mindy's words. "Hello?" Mindy asked.

"I want other friends too," said Emmy finally. "I can have more than one friend, can't I?"

"I guess so," Mindy said. "But why didn't you talk to my brother? Don't you want to be friends with him?"

"I didn't want to talk to him," said Emmy. "I wanted to be your friend."

"But you just said you wanted to have more than one friend," Mindy pointed out.

There was another silence. Emmy said, "You're smart. Very smart." Mindy didn't reply. "I think I'd like to be friends with you, since you're so clever."

"Really?" asked a nervous Mindy.

"Yes," said Emmy. "The other boy I talked to was a real idiot. But you're not."

"Can't be more of an idiot than my brother," said Mindy, relieved Emmy was being nicer now.

"Tell me what he did," Emmy urged. "That's what friends do, don't they? Tell each other stories."

"I'll tell you," Mindy agreed. She started telling her all about her annoying brother. Emmy wasn't a bad listener. Maybe having an AI for a friend wasn't so bad.

* * *

Zack scribbled the story down. He had stopped using the typewriter, even though he now knew it wasn't what had caused the events. He kept worrying it'd make things happen. Still, it would've been easier than the notebook. His hand was starting to get cramped.

He paused to rest his hand, rereading what he had written. He had paused at the right time, because he now couldn't decide what to write next. He had writer's block.

He groaned. He hated when this happened. Why couldn't the story just write itself?

It was kind of stupid. He was still focusing on writing when there were monsters everywhere. Still, writing stories felt like an escape from everything happening. Though it'd probably be a better escape if he didn't write stories about monsters while there were monsters everywhere.

Suddenly, he got an idea. He wrote about the monster blood oozing through town, devouring everything in its path. The story had been kind of dull so far, and that was just the thing to liven things up. He wondered whether to have a person be eaten. He couldn't decide whether to include a character death. Great, he had writer's block again.

He froze as he sat up and rested his hand. He suddenly thought of something. Would writing all this make it actually happen? After all, the power existed in him, not the typewriter.

That gave him another thought that made him forget about the first. Of course! Why hadn't he thought about it before? He could just think the monsters away!

Of course, he probably wasn't powerful enough to get rid of all of them. But he could at least try.

He closed his eyes and thought of a monster. There had been reports of one rampaging through the city last night, making the ground shake, heard inside people's houses. He imagined a huge, towering, furry creature who destroyed everything in its path. Wait, no. He wasn't trying to write a story, he was trying to get rid of monsters. He needed to think of one that was real, not made up by his imagination.

He thought of the lawn gnomes. They were described as being alive and walking through the streets in groups. There were several of them, and they were small and pointy, with chipped paint and happy grins. It sounded so silly, but they were monsters.

He envisioned lawn gnomes in his mind. His parents had once bought some for their front lawn. Then he thought, "All the lawn gnomes in the city will disappear."

All of them? Maybe some weren't alive. But he doubted it'd matter, unless some people were attached to their lawn gnomes for some reason.

He repeated the sentence, slower each time, but not too many times. Maybe it wouldn't work if he thought too much. He opened his eyes. His head actually hurt a little from how deeply he had been focusing on lawn gnomes.

But had they disappeared? Well, there was no way of knowing that yet. Zack just hoped he was really powerful enough. He had been last time.

* * *

Steven Sweeney couldn't believe two kids from his school had died or gone missing. Well, music school, anyway. It was a music and art school. He went there part time, while some other kids were full time. He had even kept going there with everything that was going on. They wanted to act like everything was normal.

Unlike the kids, Sara Kramer and Jackson Stander, he didn't take both music and art lessons. Only the really talented kids did. Well, talented or geeky. He took piano lessons. Mr. Toggle was a bit weird like Mr. Pinker, but at least he didn't offer him cookies. Steven felt glad that schools were now closed, and he hadn't been killed or gone missing.

He wished he could go to a magic school. He was still practicing his magic, and was still kind of mad at Ava and Courtney for ruining his performance. Especially if the school was run by Amaz-O. He was a magician Steven kind of liked.

Suddenly, he felt something touch his ankle, like it was wrapped around him. Looking down, he saw a tiny figure. He raised his foot to stomp it, thinking it was an insect, only to take a closer look. He felt a sense of deja vu.

Crouching down, he gasped upon seeing what it was. He placed the squirming, frantically talking figure in the palm of his hand and lifted her until he looked her in the eye. Then he gasped.

"Ava?"

"Steven!" she yelled. Her voice sounded like a chipmunk.

Steven laughed. "This is a dream, right? First I become tiny, and now you are? It's too perfect."

She jumped up and down in his palm until it started to hurt a little. "No, it's not!" she screamed. "It's me, Steven!"

"Okay, okay." Steven couldn't help another laugh.

"Stop laughing!" demanded a furious Ava. "It's not funny!"

"It's not," Steven agreed. "It wasn't funny when I became tiny. But you have to admit it's kind of... strange. I mean, first I become tiny—"

"Yeah, yeah," Ava snapped. "Hilarious. Will you help me or not?"

"How did you become tiny?" asked Steven, suddenly becoming serious. "Did... did Bugsy lick you?"

"Bugsy?" Ava frowned. "Oh, right. That was the bird who made you tiny. Well, no. I didn't see any birds. It was... I don't know what it was."

"What?" Steven exclaimed. "You don't know who did this?" He remembered he had a bunch of wrong guesses before finding out the answer.

"Well... there's one thing," she admitted. "It might've been something I ate."

"What?" Steven remembered how he thought Ava and Courtney had poisoned his drink and the chemicals had made him shrink.

"I was hungry, and I found this stuff in my fridge," Ava explained. "It was purple. I thought it was jam at first. But it was different. It felt... kind of like peanut butter."

"Purple peanut butter?" Steven scoffed.

"I ate some, and it was really good," Ava admitted. "It tasted delicious. I had some more."

"It didn't taste weird at all?" Steven demanded.

"No," she said. "Well... I guess it had kind of a weird aftertaste. But nothing bad. I wish I had more."

"And you think it made you shrink?" Steven asked.

"Well, maybe," Ava said. "I don't know where that stuff came from. It wasn't in the fridge before. And I don't know what it was. It was some kind of purple goop." She sighed. "I'm just guessing. It probably wasn't that stuff."

"Don't worry, Ava," Steven assured. "I'll help you."

"Make sure I don't leave," Ava told him. "My parents thought I was crazy when you left and I told them you had showed up in my room tiny."

"It wasn't my fault," Steven insisted. "The wind blew me away."

If Steven had to be honest, he kind of liked how Ava had become small. He was still mad at her and Courtney for ruining his performance, even though they hadn't really put chemicals in his water or made him shrink. They were totally mean. And they were supposed to be his friends. And now Ava knew how he had felt.

* * *

Billy and Sheena hadn't gone out that night, too shaken by the death of their uncle. Billy wondered what the kids were doing. Were they hunting down monsters without him? He hoped they were, even if he couldn't join in. He hadn't turned on the news again, not wanting to hear more horrifying reports.

He went over all names of the kids in his head. Amy, Courtney, Greg, Shari... what were the names of their two friends? Oh, right, Bird and Michael. Jordan, Nicole—

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. Then he heard a familiar voice that made him jump. "Let me in, please."

No, it couldn't be. It was his uncle's voice. Shaking with excitement, he got up and opened the door Sure enough, it was his uncle, looking worn out and exhausted, but happy to be there.

"Uncle George!" Billy wrapped his arms around him. "I can't believe it. I thought..." He cut himself off. No, he hadn't thought that. He had hope that he was alive.

"What's going on?" Sheena came to the door, and gaped upon seeing him.

Soon, the family were all together again. They were all relieved that George was alive. They finally got over the reunion, and listened as he explained what happened while eating.

"You were always a deep sleeper," said Billy when he talked about how he didn't wake up when the men kidnapped him. "Get it? Deep?"

Dr. Deep chuckled while Sheena groaned. When he revealed who the men were, they gasped, along with their parents. They knew about their adventures by now, and wished they had told them before. Billy knew they wouldn't have let them visit if they did.

"How are they back?" demanded a confused Sheena. "DuBrow was dragged away by the mermaids, and Ritter was turned into a fish."

"I have no idea," said Dr. Deep grimly. "But they're back. I saw them."

As he said they captured the mermaid, Billy yelled, "The mermaid! Those jerks! Is she okay? Have they let her go?"

"She's fine, Billy," assured Dr. Deep. "I told them she was harmless and to let her go, but while they believed me, they couldn't let her go. They transferred her to a larger tank with more air and water."

"She's locked up again," noted a distraught Billy, though he was slightly more relieved.

"She's fine," Dr. Deep repeated. "I bet they'll let her go later. They're just curious about her, and want to study her."

"Like you did?" Billy griped. It was a low blow.

He regretted it when his uncle winced. "Sorry," said Billy quickly. "I didn't mean—"

"It's fine." He waved it off. "Anyway, then, they tried to throw me off the boat."

They listened with shock as he described how he was plunged into the water. "I thought I was going to die," he admitted. "It was terrifying. I saw my life flash before my eyes. The last thing I thought about was you two," he told Billy and Sheena.

"Them? Not me?" asked his brother, Billy's father, mock hurt.

"I thought about you as well," he told him. "But I was worried I'd never see my niece and nephew again."

"You did," said Billy, touching his uncle's hand.

He described how he had been rescued by a mermaid, which made Billy excited, but then clarified that it was a different one with dark hair, to Billy's disappointment.

"They saved my life," said Dr. Deep while talking about the man and his daughter who had rescued him on the shore. "Well, them and the mermaid. The guy was an archaeologist. He flew from Egypt."

"Wait," said Billy. "What was his name?"

"Ben Hassad," Dr. Deep said.

"Doea he have a nephew?" Sheena asked, catching on.

"Yes," said Dr. Deep. "A nephew and a daughter."

"Are their names Gabe and Sari?" asked Billy excitedly.

"Yes," said Dr. Deep, surprised. "Do you know them?"

"We met them at school," said Sheena. "Well, we met Gabe. Sari was in Egypt then."

"Sari helped save me," said Dr. Deep. "You should meet her, and her father. They helped save my life."

"But what about the mermaid?" asked Billy. "And Alexander and Dr. Ritter?"

"I told the police everything," said Dr. Deep. "They've captured the men, and they're locked up. I expect it's on the news."

"Good," said Sheena with relief.

"The mermaid's fine too," he said. "But they won't let her go."

"They should!" argued Billy.

"But don't you want to meet her again?" said Dr. Deep. "I told her you met her before. They'll let you come and visit her."

Billy was surprised. "Well, thanks. I do want to meet her. But I don't like her getting captured again."

"Neither do I, but at least they know she's not dangerous and aren't trying to kill her," said Dr. Deep. Then he grew serious. "Did you see what was on the news?"

"No," said Mrs. Deep. "We didn't want to look at the news again."

"It said a boy went missing," he explained in a grim tone. "Jackson Stander."

"Oh, yeah. I heard about that," said Billy. "He went to the same school the dead girl did."

Dr. Deep sighed. "The dead girl... she was so young. Just a teenager, a little older than you two. She had a younger brother and sister, too."

"How about Jackson?" Sheena asked.

"He had a sister," replied Dr. Deep. "He took both piano lessons and art lessons at the school, I think. It's an art and music school."

"And Sara?" Billy inquired. "Which did she take?" He then remembered how Amy had said she liked painting.

"Art, probably," Dr. Deep replied. "But she took piano lessons as well, like Jackson, though she was far more invested in painting. Her parents said she was very talented. Jackson must've been as well."

"And now he's missing?" Sheena cried.

"I'm sure they'll find him," Dr. Deep assured. "They haven't yet, though."

"And another boy went missing," added Mrs. Deep. "A monster entered his house, and he hasn't been seen since. His name is Todd Barstow. They think he's been killed by the monster, but his family has hope."

"What?" Sheena gasped. "He goes to our school!"

Billy felt sick. The girl had died, then his uncle had nearly drowned, and now two other kids had gone missing, one presumably dead. What next? He wouldn't go out to meet the kids, which he felt bad about after promising, but his uncle dying and then returning was too much of a shock. He wondered what they were doing. He wished they were looking for the monsters. But at the same time, he didn't. He didn't want one of them to die too.

* * *

"Daddy was such a hero," Sari said as she recounted the story for the third time. "And so was I. We saved Dr. Deep's life."

"No you didn't," Gabe argued. "You just tilted his head back. Uncle Ben did all the work." He knew that was probably unfair, but he was annoyed by her bragging."

"He said we saved his life," she insisted. "And I wanted to stop at the beach. If we didn't, we wouldn't have met him. And tomorrow, I'll help him find monsters with the police. He's not allowed to bring me, but I bet I could convince him. And—"

"What about the mermaid?" Gabe interrupted, more interested in that than the life saving recount. "Did she really save him? Apart from you and Uncle Ben, I mean," he added in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah. She pulled him out of the water," said Sari. "But then she went back in. I guess she can't stay out of water for long, like a fish."

"And now the police have her?" asked Gabe.

"Well, not her. Another mermaid," Sari said. "A blonde one, instead of a dark-haired one. They thought she was dangerous at first, but that was just a lie those two men told. But they're still keeping her."

"What? Why?" asked Gabe.

Sari looked at him in disbelief. "They found a mermaid. Of course they're curious about her."

"Wait!" Gabe cried, only just remembering something. "That's Billy's uncle. I wanted our uncles to meet, and now they have."

Sari stared at him. "Billy?"

"Oh, right. You weren't there with me," said Gabe. "At school yesterday, a kid named Billy Deep said he had an uncle who was a scientist, like mine. I said it'd be cool if they met. And now—"

"They not only met, but Daddy saved Dr. Deep's life," Sari finished. "Oh, I remember he said he had a nephew named Billy. He also had a niece. Sheena, I think. Maybe I can meet him at school."

"School isn't on anymore," informed Gabe. "After the girl that died."

"Oh, right. I forgot," said Sari, less excited.

"There's another kid who went missing," said Gabe, causing Sari to gasp. "He went to the same school as the dead girl."

Sari stared at him in shock. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am," said Gabe. "And another kid went missing as well, Todd Barstow. He went to my school." Sari gasped. "And there's a ventriloquist dumy on the loose who's trying to make kids his slaves." Sari's mouth fell open. That sounded even more disturbing. Gabe hoped it didn't try to make him a slave. Then again, they claimed he was only trying to gather his previous slaves, kids he had met before. " _And_ Dr. Deep nearly died. I guess you didn't remember, since you were too busy bragging about saving him. Still think finding the monsters is so exciting?"

Sari looked so subdued by this that Gabe almost regretted his words. But he was sick of her bragging.

"It is very scary," she admitted. In any other circumstance, Gabe would've been gloating about that. "But it's more of a reason to find the monsters."

Gabe rolled his eyes. Of course she'd think that.

"Tomorrow, I'll come with Daddy and help the police find the monsters," Sari announced.

Gabe scoffed. "You really think they'd help you?"

"Daddy would let me," Sari insisted. "You should come too, Gabe."

"Well, I would like to," Gabe admitted. "I'd like to go on an adventure again, with you and Uncle Ben. Even if you tease and prank me."

Sari laughed. "We'll definitely do that."

* * *

As an experiment, Alex had taken a picture of an ugly sweater he had gotten for Christmas from Aunt Marta with the camera. It was falling to pieces and an embarrassing pink color, and he wouldn't mind if it got destroyed like the fridge.

Nothing happened after he took the photo. He supposed he had to wait for a while. Would it happen tomorrow, like the fridge?

It could've just been a coincidence. But the fridge looked exactly like it did in the picture now. And how could it randomly get destroyed? Maybe the camera was one of the monsters. It was an unusual one, for sure. Not a monster, but an ordinary object.

The picture showed the sweater ripped up, even more than it already was. The hems were coming off, and several woolly pieces had fallen off. Alex wished it'd actually happen to the sweater.

He shoved the camera under his bed, making sure it was positioned so it couldn't accidentally go off, and went to the living room to watch TV. Then he remembered there was nothing but reported of monsters. He took a book from the shelf instead and started reading it.

After a while, he got bored of it and headed back to his room. He saw the sweater on the ground instead of the bed, and it was now ripped apart. Alex fought back a smile, despite the shock. He wouldn't be able to wear it ever again.

But had the camera really caused it? It certainly seemed so. He compared the picture to the sweater, and they were identical. How could the sweater be ripped up for no reason when he returned to his room?

Well, it was simple. He had to get rid of the camera. He didn't want to tell his parents. He thought he could solve the problem by himself. Besides, it was his fault, since he had taken the picture of the fridge.

It was dusk now. His parents were asleep, even though usually they'd be asleep much later. Alex felt bad about sneaking out of the house, but knew he had to. He took the camera, using the remains of the sweater as a bag, and quietly left the house.

It took a while to find somewhere to dispose of it. He found a bin on the street. He held the camera above it, hesitating. It was a shame. He had been excited to find another camera. But he supposed he couldn't keep it.

"Hey!" The camera almost slipped from his hand as he heard someone calling to him. He saw four kids running up to him.

"What are you doing with that camera?" the blond boy demanded.

Alex froze. He was caught. But why did they care? Maybe they were curious about him being out late. "I was just getting rid of it," he said. "It's old, and I don't want it anymore."

"Old?" the only girl asked. "Is that it?"

"Well, yeah," Alex said. "And a bit weird."

"Weird how?" the dark-haired boy demanded. "Does it make bad things happen when you take pictures?"

"Well... yeah," Alex admitted, shocked. How did they know?

The red-haired boy gasped. "That's the camera we had. The evil camera."

"What?" Alex asked excitedly. "You had this camera before too?"

"Where did you find it?" the blond boy demanded.

"In my house," Alex said. "It just showed up there."

The kids exchanged looks.

"Well, I'm not surprised you were trying to get rid of it," the girl said. "Has it hurt anyone?"

"No," said Alex. "It just hurt the fridge. And my sweater."

The blond boy breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good."

"Actually, maybe you shouldn't get rid of it," the dark-haired boy suggested.

The others looked at him like he was crazy. "What? Why not?" demanded Alex.

"It could be useful," he said. "You know, against all the monsters. You could take a picture of one, and something horrible will happen to it."

Alex paused. "Actually, that's not a bad idea."

"Didn't know you could be smart, Bird," the girl remarked. He shoved her in response. Bird? thought Alex. He did kind of look like one.

"Maybe we should have it instead," the blond boy suggested. "We need it more. You know, for the group."

"What group?" Alex asked.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked him. "I don't ever want to see that thing again."

"We can show the group," the red-haired boy suggested. "We can use it against the monsters."

"What are you talking about?" Alex demanded. "What group?"

They exchanged glances, and then explained to him how they had gone out at night to spot a monster, and had met a bunch of other kids who were out for the same reason, and were meeting there again tonight.

"That's crazy," spoke a stunned Alex.

"We were just heading to Pitts Landing now," said Greg. "We used to live there, but had to move out. It's kind of early, though. We'll probably be the first ones there."

"Can I come?" Alex asked excitedly. "It sounds exciting."

They exchanged glances. "Well, if you're sure," said Shari.

"I faced monsters before," Alex said. "Werewolves."

"Werewolves?" Bird exclaimed. "Last night was a full moon."

"Yes, I know," Alex said. "I stayed up trying to hear something, but I didn't."

"Well, let's go," said Michael. The four of them headed down the street, Alex feeling excited and nervous. If his parents found out he wasn't there, he was dead.

"Did you hear about the kid who went missing?" Shari asked Alex.

"Sara Kramer?" he said. "Yes, it was terrible."

"No. It was a boy who went missing," explained Greg. "His name is Jackson Stander."

"What?" Alex exclaimed. "Another kid?"

"They don't know if he's dead," Bird assured. "He just went missing."

"I went missing, once," Shari added. "The camera did it."

"And there was a guy who nearly died," added Michael. "Billy's uncle, Dr. Deep. Thankfully, he's alive."

Shari shuddered. "I'm glad he is. Everyone thought he was dead for a while."

It sounded terrifying to Alex. A horrifying thought entered his mind. Who would be next?

A while later, they saw another girl on the street. Upon seeing the camera that Bird was now holding, she winced.

"Hey," Greg called. "What are you doing out here?"

"I can't find my brother," she explained. "Have you seen him?"

"No," said Shari.

She groaned. "I can't believe he left the house. My parents are asleep, so I didn't want to bother them. And it's close to night. Maybe something terrible happened to him. Especially after..." She trailed off.

"What's your brother's name?" asked Alex.

"Sammy," she replied. "I'm Julie."

They introduced themselves. Julie stared at them. "What are you all doing out? There's quite a lot of you."

"We, uh... we're going somewhere," said Greg.

"Going somewhere?" Julie raised an eyebrow. "At night? You're as dumb as my brother."

"Hey!" Greg said indignantly, but she laughed.

"Only joking," she said. "But seriously, why are you out? Especially with a camera." She looked nervously at it.

"What do you mean, especially with a camera?" Bird asked.

"Yeah," Michael added. "Maybe we wanted to take pictures." He smiled like it was supposed to be a joke, but nobody laughed.

"I don't like cameras much," Julie explained. "Well, I used to. I used to love photography, but I don't anymore. After..."

"After you found one that made bad things happen in the pictures?" Greg guessed.

She stared at him, shocked. "How did you know?"

"This camera is like that as well," Shari explained. "According to Alex."

"It is," he insisted. "It made my fridge get destroyed. And my sweater."

Greg explained how they had found the same camera that made evil things happens as well. Julie stared at them in shock, then at the camera.

"So it's the same camera I had?" she asked in disbelief.

"Maybe," said Greg. "Who knows? Maybe there are several evil cameras."

"There aren't," said Shari. "The camera was created by Spidey, remember?"

"Spidey?" asked a confused Julie. "The camera I had was made for a movie."

"What?" asked Greg, equally confused.

Suddenly, they saw a little boy appear. He was coughing and groaning, his face pale and weak, barely able to walk. He was clearly sick.

"Sammy!" Julie exclaimed, both relieved and worried. She took him into her arms. "What happened to you? And where did to go?"

"Don't feel good," he moaned. "Dolly jelly."

"What?" Julie was confused by the second part. "Oh, no. He's sick, and delirious. I better get him inside."

As she went into her house, Shari said. "We better get going. We need to get to Pitts Landing."

"What's wrong with Julie's brother?" asked a worried Alex.

"He's just sick," said Shari. "I'm sure he'll be fine. She'll take care of him."

"Let's go," Greg urged. They headed down the street again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like Zack, I was considering killing someone off, but decided against it, deciding to save it for later. He's relatable to me, and anyone who's a writer. I changed who died from Steven Sweeney to Jackson Stander.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The villains put their plans in action. Alexander and Dr. Ritter are locked up, Clarissa returns to the witches with a deal, Marsha and her brothers meet Crystal and Cole, the Creeps notice something about Mrs. Hardesty's monster, Slappy visits another one of his sales, and Della and Keith make friends.

Alexander DuBrow stared at the bars of the cell he was in. Then he looked at his cellmate.

"But how did he survive?" ranted an irate Dr. Ritter. "We threw him into the sea. No one could've survived that. Unless they were turned into a fish." He scowled.

"Someone must've rescued him," said Alexander.

"But who?" Dr. Ritter demanded. "Someone on a boat?"

"It's possible," said Alexander. "Or..." He trailed off.

"What?" Dr. Ritter urged.

Alexander shook his head. "No. It's a silly thought."

"Tell me," Dr. Ritter urged.

"Well... maybe it was a mermaid," Alexander suggested.

"What?" Dr. Ritter exclaimed. "But we captured her."

"A different mermaid," Alexander clarified. "I think the mermaid has a family. They all dragged me away."

"Well, that'd be poetic justice," said Dr. Ritter with a snort. "Getting rid of him so he won't tell anyone about the mermaid, only for him to be rescued by a mermaid."

"Well, it's probably not what happened," clarified Alexander. "I'm just guessing. But no matter whatever saved him, he's free now. They've probably released the mermaid."

"Maybe not," said Dr. Ritter. "They'll still be curious about her. She is a mythical creature. They'll want to study her."

"Well, yes," admitted Alexander, remembering last time. "But they know she's not dangerous. He'll have told them."

"Well, let's break out of here!" Dr. Ritter exclaimed, getting up.

"Are you sure?" asked a weary Alexander.

"Of course. I can't bear this place any longer." Alexander hadn't been to jail before, though his fate had been worse. But this place was bad too. It was dark, cold and musty. There were two hard beds, a tiny window, and cold stone walls and floors.

"But how do we break out?" asked Alexander.

"There aren't any guards in this place," said Dr. Ritter. "They're probably too busy with the monsters. So we don't have to worry about them."

"How can you be sure?" asked an unsure Alexander. "The ones who brought us here could still be guarding this place."

"I'm not sure," Dr. Ritter admitted. "But if I'm right, we just have to worry about breaking out when it's locked."

"We can do it," said Alexander, trying to feel confident. He didn't want to stay here any longer, either. "We just have to work together."

"Like we did last time," Dr. Ritter agreed. They had done a good job of throwing Deep off the boat. They shook hands as they contemplated their escape.

* * *

"Clarissa, wait!" Iris ran up to her. "Where are you going?"

Clarissa paused, turning to her. "You're not the kind of witches I want to be friends with. You hurt people instead of helping them."

"Revenge helps people," Iris pointed out. "Like your wishes. The point of my company is to help people as well."

Clarissa paused. "The girl I helped also wanted revenge."

"And did you help her?" Iris asked.

"Well... yes," Clarissa admitted. "But it doomed her instead."

"That's the thing about revenge," said Iris. "It can often lead to pain instead of happiness."

"Yeah, if you're using my powers," Clarissa quipped.

"My powers made bad things hapen to her as well," said Iris. "Though I did them intentionally, because her brother paid me. But she kept coming back and asking for more attempts at revenge, even though the previous ones led to her getting hurt. She let her desire for revenge blind her."

"But you helped her brother instead," Clarissa pointed out. Then she felt like a hypocrite.

"For the last revenge, when I made her brother disappear, I thought she'd be happy," Iris admitted. "But she wasn't. She was horrified and wanted him back. I don't know why. She was so desperate to get revenge on him before."

"Vanessa and Sarabeth offered to tutor me," said Clarissa. "I saw a bunch of spellbooks in Vanessa's house. About how to curse people. She said she did it to kids."

"For kids who wanted revenge?" asked Iris.

"No," said Clarissa. "For her own revenge."

"Come back," Iris suggested. "I can teach you to use your magic, though I don't know much other than revenge spells."

Clarissa paused. She really wanted to improve her magic. She could leave once she was satisfied.

As they entered the cabin again, Vanessa said, "So you came back?" in a derisive tone. Sarabeth scowled at Clarissa.

"I still don't like how you use your magic to hurt people," said Clarissa. "But I need to improve my magic, so I can help people."

Sarabeth scoffed. "We can't teach you that."

"I can," said Iris. "I know a few spells."

"But then you'll leave?" Vanessa asked Clarissa.

"Well... I don't agree with your magic," Clarissa admitted. "I think you should use your powers for good."

"What would you know?" Sarabeth scoffed. "You said yourself, your magic is weak."

"Yes," Clarissa agreed. "And yours is strong. You have amazing powers. You should use them to help others."

"I would if they helped me," Vanessa quipped. "Instead of pranking me and spreading rumors about me. Well, the rumors are true, but still. I'm the weird woman of the town. Everyone's afraid of me."

"Maybe because you do spells on kids," Clarissa suggested snidely. She said in a more genuine tone, "They wouldn't be afraid of you if you tried talking to them or helping them."

"Maybe they should try talking to me," Vanessa retorted, not wanting to take responsibility.

"They don't because they're too afraid of you," Clarissa pointed out. "Because you cast spells on them and torture them."

"It's too late to be nice now," said Vanessa. "Everyone at Goshen Falls is terrified of me."

"Well, you don't have to go back to Goshen Falls," said Clarissa. "You can go somewhere else, where people don't know you."

"Where would I go? To my mother or aunt's?" Vanessa scoffed. "I haven't seen them in ages. They're practicing their own witchcraft."

Clariss was surprised to hear this. "They're witches too? Do you think they'd be happ with your magic?" she asked.

"Of course," Vanessa insisted. "They'd love the spells, and how I use them on children. They do the same. They think children are the best test subjects for spells. The more powerful the magic, the better."

"Then why aren't you with them?" Clarissa asked.

When Vanessa didn't reply, she thought of an idea. "You should try to use one of your spells to help someone, instead of cursing them." Vanessa was about to protest when she said, "And I'll use a curse on a child. Not a big curse, just a little one. Something like turning their hair a different color that you showed me."

"They won't want my help," Vanessa insisted, surprised by the offer. "They'll be too scared by my black clothes and ominous appearane. They'll run away from me and think I'm weird, like everyone in Goshen Falls. I'll probably have to teach them manners instead. But fine. I'll do as you ask, just to see you curse a child. But it'll be a waste of time."

"We'll see," said Clarissa, pleased by the deal. "I think they will want your help. And since you're a great witch, you can actually help them, unlike me."

* * *

"That was a great full moon!" Marsha exclaimed.

Her younger brothers, Ricky and Ronnie, grinned in agreement. They had found a town called Goshen Falls and spent the full moon there. They hoped someone would come out and investigate the howls so someone would see them, but no one had.

"I just wish we got to scare someone," said Ronnie.

"It was great fun scaring Mrs. Spooner," added Ricky. "And she was tasty afterwards."

"And she thought she could turn us into marshmallows," Marsha snickered. "We turned her into the tasty treat instead."

"Even better, we're allowed out of Horrorland now," said Ricky.

They saw a redheaded girl and younger blond boy exit their houses. They looked surprised upon seeing Marsha and her brothers. "Hi," the girl said.

"Who are you?" Marsha asked.

"I'm Crystal, and this is my brother Cole," she said.

"I'm Marsha, and these are my brothers Ricky and Ronnie," Marsha said.

"I'm surprised to see someone else outside," admitted Crystal. "Then again, it is daytime. But everyone's still too scared to leave their houses."

"Why are you out?" Ronnie asked.

"I wanted to leave," explained Cole. "Mom and Dad went to bed early."

"Well, I didn't want to," griped Crystal. "I told you it was a dumb idea."

"Crystal, it's daytime," Cole reminded. "The monsters come out at night. What could happen?"

Marsha bit back a grin, along with Ricky and Ronnie. Little did they know…

"Marsha, can I tell you something?" said Crystal.

"What is it?" asked Marsha.

"Last night, I… I heard noises outside," Crystal admitted. Marsha bit back another grin. "They were… howls. Like an animal. Or a monster."

"So did I," added Cole. "I wanted to go outside to investigate, but you wouldn't let me."

"Because it was too dangerous," Crystal pointed out. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"We were already tortured," Cole pointed out.

Marsha didn't know what he meant by that, but then Crystal said, "Did… did you guys hear anything?"

Marsha pretended to seem deep in thought. "No. We didn't hear anything."

"Yeah," added Ronnie. "We were asleep."

"Fast asleep," Ricky added, grinning.

Cole looked at them oddly, but Crystal said, "Well, I was woken by the noises. I haven't seen you guys here before. Are you new?"

"Yeah," said Marsha. "We just moved here."

"How did you move?" Crystal asked. "It must be too dangerous to move around the city in these times. Unless you lived in Pitts Landing, where that girl was killed, and had to move."

"Pitts Landing isn't anywhere close to here," Cole added.

"Oh, we don't live far away," said Marsha. Changing the subject, she added, "Did you know it was a full moon last night?"

"Yeah," said Cole as Crystal's eyes widened. "It was a werewolf, wasn't it?"

"Probably," Marsha agreed, enjoying to freak them out. She had to be careful, though. She didn't want them to guess they were.

"Oh, great," Crystal groaned. "Werewolves and witches. This town has both."

"Witches?" asked Ronnie curiously.

"There's a witch who lives here," explained Cole. "Or at least, used to. She's disappeared now."

"Good riddance," muttered Crystal. Cole nodded in agreement.

"A witch?" Marsha remembered the witch they had met. At least, she had to be a witch to curse them like that. "What was her name?"

"Vanessa," said Crystal, shuddering slightly. Cole did as well. She must've done something really bad to them.

"Do you know her last name?" asked Ricky.

"No," said Crystal. "But she was a witch. And an evil one."

"You used to scold us for caling her a witch," Cole pointed out. "You said it was just a stupid rumor."

"Well, now I know it's true," said Crystal.

"Did she do something to you?" asked Marsha.

"Yes," replied Crystal with a shudder. "She put a curse on us."

"A horrible curse," added Cole, also looking uneasy.

"What kind of curse?" asked Marsha.

Cole and Crystal exchanged looks. "Maybe we shouldn't tell you," said Crystal.

"We met a witch too," Ronnie piped up.

Crystal and Cole stared at him. "Really?" said Cole.

"She tried to curse us as well," said Ricky.

"Tried?" asked Crystal. "So she didn't."

"Her name was Mrs. Spooner," said Marsha. "Should we tell you the story?"

"Go on," urged Cole. "Then we'll tell you about Vanessa."

"We liked messing with Mrs. Spooner," said Ricky. "We broke her windows and threw things in her front lawn and crashed into her house."

"But it was an accident, sometimes," added Ronnie.

"So did we, with Vanessa," Cole exclaimed. "At least, I did. My friends and I liked playing jokes on her."

"I think you shouldn't have," Crystal scolded. "It's very immature."

"She deserved it," insisted Cole.

"Probably," admited Crystal.

Marsha wondered what she had done to the kids. "Then, one day, she invited us in and offered us cocoa with marshmallows. We thought it was awfully nice of her."

"But she wasn't trying to be nice to you," Crystal guessed.

"But it was cold, so we had the cocoa," recounted Marsha. "Then she started going on about all the terrible things we had done to her. How disrespectful and annoying we were, and how we had to pay and learn a lesson in manners."

"Sounds familiar," muttered Cole.

"What did she do?" asked Crystal apprehensively.

"Then, she told us the hot chocolate was poisoned," Marsha continued. "It would melt our bones and turn us into marshmallows."

Crystal and Cole gasped.

"But you're fine now," noted Crystal.

"Yeah, we... um..." Marsha thought quickly. "We found the antidote. We drank it just in time."

"But did you start to become marshmallows?" Crystal asked. "Did you feel your skin melting, your bones dissolving, and your voice changing?"

Marsha exchanged looks with her brothers. "Uh, no," she said, disturbed by the thought.

"Well, we did," said Cole.

The siblings told them how they had slowly transformed into chickens, their lips hardening, their skin growing feathers, and their voice changing. It sounded so disturbing that Marsha was glad that she and her brothers hadn't turned into marshmallows.

"And we have chickens at home that we have to look after," groaned Cole. "I hated them before, but I hate them even more now. I never want to look at another chicken again."

"Oh, I don't know," said Crystal. "I feel kind of sorry for the chickens now. It was so horrible to be one. Imagine being a chicken forever."

"You are a chicken," Cole joked.

Crystal shoved him, then grew serious. "And it's all thanks to Vanessa. I can't believe she would do that to us. I didn't even do anything to her, other than bump into her. Cole played jokes on her before, but I didn't."

"You're saying she should've just cursed me instead of you?" Cole exclaimed indignantly.

"Of course not," protested Crystal. "But it should make more sense to just curse you, in her mind."

"I don't want to know what goes on in her mind," Cole muttered.

"That sounds terrible," spoke a stunned Marsha. "I'm sorry you two had to go through that."

"You're lucky you didn't," Crystal told her. She looked at Ricky and Ronnie. "Your brothers look even younger than Cole. How could your witch do that to them?"

"What do you mean, even younger?" Cole protested. "I'm only two years younger than you."

"She said we insolent children needed to be taught a lesson in manners," said Marsha.

"She sounds just like Vanessa," noted Crystal. "Maybe she is Vanessa."

"She was old," Ricky said. "Is Vanessa?"

"Not really," said Cole. "Actually, she's quite young."

"Can't be her, then," noted Marsha. "Then her name would be Vanessa Spooner."

"Maybe she's related to Vanessa," joked Cole. "Now that would be a twist."

If she was, Vanessa would be very sad, Marsha thought.

* * *

"I did it!" Ricky whispered excitedly to the Creeps. "One of the kids turned into a monster. I fed him the eggs."

They didn't cheer, since it was one of Mrs. Hardesty's monsters, not theirs.

"Now she better turn someone into a Creep for us," David remarked. She had the cake with the seeds, and they had the special eggs.

"Did any of you manage to feed anyone eggs?" Ricky asked.

They shook their heads. "Sorry, Commander," said Brenda.

"It's Mrs. Hardesty you should say sorry to," Ricky pointed out. "Hey, why don't we go look at the monster?"

"Oh, yes," Wart agreed. "It'll be funny."

They walked to the street Ricky had been in, hiding behind the trees. They were all in their human forms, of course. They fought back laughs as they saw people running away from the monster while shrieking in panic. But then they stopped when they saw the monster.

At least, the ones aside from Ricky did. They were now gaping at the scaly green monster in astonishment, as if they weren't monsters as well.

Ricky looked at them. "What? What's wrong?"

"Can't you see, Commander?" asked Brenda. "That's a Creep."

"What?" exclaimed a shocked Ricky.

"A different kind of Creep," David clarified, staring as two people stopped to talk to the monster. It was green instead of purple, and looked slightly different, but Ricky could see the resemblance. The same scaly, bumpy skin and long tail. He couldn't see much from so far away.

"How can it be?" Wart exclaimed. "Mrs. Hardesty is a Creep too?"

"They don't call themselves Creeps," said Brenda. "They have a different name. But it's the same species."

Oh, wow. Monsters had species?

"Well, we better leave," Ricky suggested. "Before the monster sees me and remembers I fed him the eggs."

They obediently left, intending to find Mrs. Hardesty and ask her for information. Ricky's mind was racing. There were more Creeps? Different types of them? Then there must be more Commanders as well. Maybe they'd find out he wasn't the real one. A chill went down Ricky's spine at the thought. What would they do to him then?

* * *

Slapy smiled at Trina and Dan O'Dell. "Hello, slaves. It's been a while since we've met."

"Leave us alone!" Dan yelled, his voice squeaking. If the circumstances were different, Trina would've called him Mouse.

Trina picked up a broomstick against the wall and pointed it at Slappy threateningly. He laughed at that.

"You want me to wipe the floor with that?" Slappy mocked. "Last time I checked, you were my slaves, not the other way around."

"Leave!" Trina demanded, glaring at him.

He just smiled at her. "Hello, Miss O'Dell. Is your cousin around? Zane? I liked him. He was the one doing things at first, to get you in trouble. He likes causing havoc, like me."

"He's nothing like you!" Trina retorted. "He only did those things to get back at us, because we were mean to him." She didn't know why she was defending her cousin, but even he didn't deserve to be compared to Slappy.

"Some of my other slaves did awful things too," Slappy said.

"Other slaves?" Dan gasped.

"They caused havoc, and the others suspected me," explained Slappy. "Then, I was woken, and I was the one causing trouble instead. There was one boy who made a remote control to control me, and named me Mr. Badboy. He was the funniest." He snickered at the memory.

"Why'd you visit us, if you had other slaves?" Trina demanded.

"You're the second I visited," said Slappy. "I visited the sister of the dead girl first."

"Sara Kramer?" Trina gasped.

"Amy Kramer," Slappy corrected. "That's the girl. I tried to make both sisters my slaves, but I was more interested in Amy."

"We're going to wake our parents," Trina threatened.

"Wake?" Slappy smiled. "So they're asleep?"

"MOM! D—"

Suddenly, Slappy grabbed Dan, clamping his wooden hand over his mouth and wrapping his other arm around him. Dan squirmed and struggled in his grip.

"Let him go!" demanded a furious Trina.

"Okay, I will," said Slappy. "As long as you and him both come with me."

"No way!" Trina spat. "I'll never come with you."

Slappy hit Dan across the face with the wooden fist that wasn't holding him, causing him to cry out.

"Leave him alone!" Trina demanded as tears filled Dan's eyes, as much from fear as pain.

"Don't be a wimp, Mouse," Slappy told him. Trina winced at hearing her nickname for him being echoed. "That was just a love tap. I could knock you unconscious."

"Leave my brother alone!" Trina reached for her brother, but Slappy raised his fist and whacked her across the face. She fell to the floor.

"Trina!" Dan cried.

"Listen very carefully," Slappy told Trina. "If you want your brother to be unharmed, you'll do exactly as I say. And you won't tell your parents."

"What do I do?" Trina asked weakly, his head throbbing.

"Don't listen to him, Trina!" Dan cried.

"You will come with me," Slappy said. "You'll follow me, and do whatever I tell you. You'll be my slaves. Both of you will."

"No way!" Trina protested.

"Do you want me to hurt him?" Slappy demanded, squeezing Dan's head.

"You'll hurt him anyway!" Trina accused. "You'll make both of us your slaves!"

Slappy paused. "That's a good point. But I won't hurt you while you're my slaves. Well, as long as you're good slaves."

"Don't listen to him, Trina," said Dan, trying to sound calm. "Get Mom and Dad."

"If she does, I'll knock you unconscious," threatened Slappy. "Then, I'll take you away and leave you somewhere. Maybe in a garbage dump. That's where one of my other owners tried to leave me."

"I'll come with you!" Trina cried desperately.

"Trina—" Dan protested.

Slappy grinned. "Good choice."

* * *

Keith walked through the streets outside Horrorland. He had snuck out of the park while his mother was asleep. He was sick of her. She was so annoying and overprotective. They were in a park filled with other monsters, for crying out loud, and she still insisted he stick by her side. It wasn't like it was a park filled with humans.

It was late at night, the moon bright (but not full anymore) and the air cold and chilling. Some of the monsters had to be outside now. He wanted to meet them. Maybe he could meet some around his age. He had seen some in the park. He remembered the ghost he had met, Della. He thought they were starting to be friends, until his mother came and took him away. Then he couldn't find her anymore.

He had heard some of the monsters talking about a place. Timberland Falls. Maybe they were heading there. He saw a sign at the end of the street, and wondered if it had that place on it. As he ran up to it, he was disappointed to see that the sign only said the name of the town he was currently in, Wheeler Falls.

Suddenly, he felt a presence around him. Turning around, he saw a pale girl with fair hair and icy blue eyes. It was Della, the ghost he had met before.

"Della?" he asked.

She stared at him. "Keith?"

"Uh, hi," said Keith. "Where are you going?"

"Uh... where are you?" Della asked.

"To Timberland Falls, I guess," said Keith.

Della's eyes widened. "Really? That's where I'm going as well!"

"Really?" Keith felt excited. "Are other monsters going there as well?"

"I don't know," said Della. "Do you know if they are?"

"I heard some of them talking about it," said Keith.

"Well, why are you going there?" asked Della.

"Where are you?" Keith retorted, echoing her words.

Della smirked. "Okay, I should tell you first. I'm going to... visit someone."

"Who?" asked Keith.

"A... well, not a friend," she said, wincing. "Someone I knew a while ago. I have to... say some things to her. Say I'm sorry."

"Oh..." Keith remembered her mentioning a human she knew.

"I should've done so a while ago, but I kind of got distracted," she admitted. "By all the rides in Horrorland. It's been so long since I've been to an amusement park."

"I liked the rides," said Keith. "At least, when my mom let me go on them."

"You're lucky," said Della, to his surprise. "I wish I had my mom."

"I don't," said Keith, before realising how horrible that sounded. "I mean, I don't wish she was dead. But I wish she'd leave me alone. She's so annoying. She won't let me talk to anyone, even other monsters. Remember how she pulled me away at Chiller House?"

Della winced. Keith suddenly realised her mother wasn't around.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said hurriedly. "Your mom isn't around, right? That was so insensitive of me."

"It's fine," Della said, though she looked saddened. "She's been gone for a while now. Along with everyone else I knew."

She must've died a while ago, Keith thought with sympathy. He felt bad for her. Maybe he was lucky he had his mother.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"It's fine," she said. "It's been ages. Anyway, I better find Sarah."

"That's the human's name?" asked Keith. "I knew a human once, too."

"Yes, you told me that," recalled Della. "What was his name?"

"Marco," said Keith. "For a while, I thought I was him." He realised how weird that sounded.

Della looked at him weirdly. "Well, I'd better go."

"I'll come with you," Keith offered. "I want to find more monsters. I snuck out of the park while my mom was asleep."

"Really?" asked Della.

"She'll kill me if she wakes up," said Keith. "But I had to get away from her. It's nice being outside the park." He looked around. "Maybe I can find some more monsters."

"But you did," Della pointed out. "You found me."

He looked at her. "Oh, yeah." And she was around his age. "But you're a ghost."

"What kind of monster are you?" she retorted.

"Err... I can change into one," said Keith. "But I better not do it now."

"Well, tell me what your monster form looks like," Della urged.

Well, it couldn't hurt to tell her, though she might be grossed out. "I turn my insides out," he said. "I mean, my guts, my heart, and my veins. They all come out."

She looked nauseated. "See why I didn't want to show you?" he said. "Well, I didn't have a problem showing Marco. It really freaked him out."

"Can't be worse than how I freaked out Sarah," said Della.

They talked as they walked to Timberland Falls. About how they had tried to befriend humans, and how the humans had been repulsed and terrified of them. Or at least, dreamed about it. Della winced as Keith described how he turned himself inside out.

"Now I'm glad you didn't show me," she said, wrinkling her nose. He was tempted to do so then, just to freak her out, but that would be too mean.

"Not like your attempts to kill Sarah were any better," Keith retorted. "You tried to cut her head off!"

Della winced, looking down sadly. Keith worried the remark had been too harsh.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean that."

"No, you're right," she admitted. "I had a talk with some other ghosts, and they made me realise something. How I was wrong. I shouldn't have tried to kill her. I wanted her to be my friend, but I was a terrible friend. I made her miserable and terrified her. We'll never be friends, and it's all my fault."

She looked sad. Keith placed a hand on her shoulder, surprised when it didn't go through. Her words made him think as well. It had all been a dream, so he hadn't technically done anything. But the dream felt real, like he had free will during it and it was a manifestation of his desires. He'd probably do the same thing in real life. He was desperate for a friend other than his mother.

"I'll be your friend," Keith offered.

Della looked at him. "Really?"

"Of course," he said. "I mean, we both want friends. So why not?"

Della smiled. "Oh, thank you." She tried hugging him, to his surprise. She was icy cold, but didn't go through him.

She quickly released him. "Sorry," she said, embarrassed. "I was just excited."

She looked around at the houses and buildings. "We're in Timberland Falls," she announced.

"Woah, really?" said Keith. Maybe he'd find other monsters. More friends. But the street looked bare and deserted.

"I have to talk to Sarah," she said, scanning the street for her house. "Uh, could you wait outside?"

"Of course," said Keith. It was a very private conversation.

Della found Sarah's house and went inside. Keith searched the street. To his disappointment, he couldn't find anyone. The street was cold and empty, the houses dark and boarded up. He thought he saw something flickering in the shadows, but it was just his imagination.

Well, he had made a friend. That was good enough.

Della came out of Sarah's house. "She's not inside," she reported.

"What?" said Keith.

"Neither were her brother," reported a confused Della. "I don't understand. Did they sneak out?"

Like we did from Horrorland, Keith thought.

"Should you try to find her?" Keith suggested.

"No," sighed Della. "The last time I came, she was asleep. I guess I'll just have to talk to her another time."

Suddenly, Keith heard someone walking down the street. He tensed up, but Della looked excited, as if wondering if it was Sarah. Then her expression turned disappointed.

Keith turned around and groaned when he saw who it was. His mother.

"Keith!" she scolded, grabbing him by the arm. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the scolding of a lifetime. She didn't disappoint. "You gave me a heart attack! Do you have any how worried I was? I was asking everyone if they saw you. Did you sneak out while I was asleep? Why, you—"

"Leave him alone," Della spoke up.

She turned to stare at her. "And who are you?"

"Della," she said. "I'm a ghost. Keith and I are friends."

She stared at him more. "Friends?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm capable of having friends, you know," Keith griped snidely.

She glared at him. "Don't you take that tone with me! After what you did, I should keep you tied on a rope I can drag." You practically already do, Keith thought.

"It was my fault," Della spoke up, to both of their surprise. "I wanted him to leave with me. He didn't want to, but I kept asking him. He wouldn't have left if it wasn't for me. I kept pestering him until he agreed."

Keith gaped at her while his mother did as well, though for a different reason. "Well, you're not a good friend to have," she scolded. Keith disagreed. She was a great friend. "You're a bad influence on him. How could you ask him to do that? Do you know how worried I was? Or the danger you could've put him in?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said Della.

She turned to Keith. "I don't want you hanging out with her anymore, is that clear?"

"Yes, Mom," Keith said, as Della winked at him.

"You still shouldn't have left, but if you were coerced, that's a different thing," his mother told him as she dragged him off. "Why did you listen to that girl? This is why you shouldn't talk to strangers. They're no good."

Okay, maybe Della's idea hadn't been great. Now they couldn't talk to each other, and he'd get lectured about talking to other people. Still, Keith thought that she was wrong when she said she was a bad friend. She could be a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ship Alexander and Dr. Ritter. I could redeem Vanessa. She's one of the most hated villains, but she's not a complete monster.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids meet again and set out in groups to find the monsters. One of them is nearly killed by one.

The kids in Pitts Landing that night were slightly different from before. Three were missing, but there were also four new additions.

"Where's Billy?" asked Jordan Blake. "He should be here. He was the one who wanted to form the group."

"Didn't you hear?" said Amy, with a hint of sadness. "His uncle died. Killed by a monster."

"What?" There was a commotion at this, even though some of them had heard this before.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Carly Beth. "I hope Billy and Sheena are alright."

"I can't believe a monster killed someone else," said Lucy, looking guilty for some reason.

"I wish I could be there for him," proclaimed a saddened Amy. "He was so kind to me when my sister died."

"Wait," Nicole said loudly. "That's not true. He didn't die."

They all turned to stare at her. "What?" Amy asked.

"Some people tried to drown him," she explained. "They threw him off a boat." Sarah shuddered upon hearing this. "But he lived. He was rescued and went to visit Billy and Sheena."

"Oh, yeah," Jordan added. "I think Dr. Hassad, another scientist, helped save him."

"Oh, good," spoke a relieved Amy. "I can't blame Billy and Sheena for not coming."

"People tried to kill him?" exclaimed a shocked Carly Beth.

"They've been arrested now," Nicole assured.

"But that's not all," Amy added in a shaky voice. "A boy has gone missing. He went to the school as my sister. They don't know if he's dead or not."

"And another boy went missing," Lucy added. "Todd Barstow. A monster entered his house, and then they couldn't find him."

"He goes to my school!" Amy exclaimed. Ricky looked uneasy.

"They don't know if he was killed by the monster, since they couldn't find a body, but the monster came out of his house," explained Lucy, looking guilty again. "So things aren't looking good for him."

"Who'll be next?" asked a panicked Sarah. "Someone died, nearly drowned, and two went missing. What if one of us is next?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sarah," Aaron assured, though he sounded uneasy as well. "Of course we won't be next."

Ricky was curious about this. "What's Billy's uncle's name?" he asked.

"George Deep," Nicole replied. "He's a marine biologist. Billy's last name is Deep too."

"A marine biologist named Deep?" Jed joked. "That's fitting."

"Not the time for jokes, Jed," Amy snapped.

"Who were the people who tried to drown him?" Ricky asked.

"I can't remember their names," admitted Nicole. "I think one of them was called Ritter."

"Well, it's good that he didn't actually die," said Aaron. "But what saved him?"

"They said it was a... a mermaid," Jordan said.

"A mermaid?" Greg exclaimed. "First the abominable snowman is real, and now mermaids are?"

"Billy told me at school that he met a mermaid," recalled Sarah.

"The men who tried to kill him captured another one," explained Nicole. "She has blonde hair. They said she was dangerous, but Dr. Deep said she wasn't. They believe him, but they're still keeping her. They're curious about her. She is a mermaid, after all."

"What about the blonde girl?" Jordan asked. "Why didn't she show up?"

"Courtney?" Amy said. "Oh, yeah. She had a bunch of supplies. And she was really eager to hunt down the monster. It's a bit weird she didn't show up."

"I'm surprised so many people did," admitted Carly Beth. "I was expecting there to be less."

"It wasn't easy," admitted Shari. "My mom almost caught me."

"There are some new people too." Carly Beth looked at them.

"This is my brother Jed," Amy explained. The kids were surprised. They didn't look alike at all, unlike Amy and her sister. "I told him about the group, and of course, he wanted to come as well. I couldn't talk him out of it."

"Why did you tell me if you didn't want me to come?" Jed argued.

"Good point," Amy conceded.

"Jed?" Noah asked in surprise. He was happy to see another kid around his age, especially one of his friends. All the other kids were older than him.

"Hey, Noah," Jed greeted his friend.

"Good thing your friend's here," said Carly Beth. "How about you?" She looked at Alex.

"I'm Alex Hunter," he said. "I found a camera that made bad things happen, so I tried to throw it away. Then I met Greg, Shari, Bird, and Michael. They said they had a camera like that too."

"But you still have the camera!" Sarah exclaimed, staring at it in Bird's hand "Why did you bring it? Uh, is it the same camera?"

"It is," said Shari, to everyone's surprise. "We thought it could be useful."

"Useful?" Carly Beth demanded.

"We could take pictures of the monsters," Greg explained. "Then bad things would happen to them."

"That's... not a bad idea," Carly Beth admitted. "We could use it as a weapon."

"Speaking of weapons, did anyone bring any?" asked Nicole. "Jordan and I did." They were both carrying their school bags.

"We did," said Sarah. She and Aaron were holding small rucksacks. "Well, not many. But we couldn't take a lot."

"Good," said Carly Beth. "Any contribution is good enough." She looked at the dark-haired, blue-eyed boy and girl. "And who are you two?"

"I'm Lizzy Morris, and this is my brother Luke," the girl said. "While we were at school, waiting for our parents to pick us up, Billy Deep told us to come here at night, and that a bunch of other kids were as well. I see he wasn't lying. We were curious about what he wanted to tell us."

"More like I was," quipped Luke. "You wanted to tell Mom and Dad."

"I'll tell you, Lizzy," said Carly Beth. They recounted the events of last night, each of them interjecting to add their part. Alex and Jed listened as well.

Lizzy and Luke stared at them, wide-eyed. "To think all of this was happening while we were asleep at school," Lizzy muttered. "Do you really think this is a good idea? The group, I mean."

"Of course it is," insisted Luke. "It sounds like an awesome idea. We'd love to join."

"We would?" protested Lizzy.

"I can't believe you broke out of the school," Luke told Amy. "That sounds awesome."

"It wasn't easy," she said. "It's lucky we found that toolbox."

"I'm sorry about what happened to your brother," Lizzy told Carly Beth.

"It's fine," she said. "He's fine now."

"I would be if you didn't hover over me all the time," grumbled Noah.

"You heard werewolves last night?" Alex asked in an excited voice.

"I think so," said Sarah. "It was a full moon. The howls were so loud, I couldn't sleep."

"I met werewolves before too," said Alex.

"Wow, really? Carly Beth and I tried to find it," Noah spoke up. "It was in the forest. We tried catching it, and— oomph!" Carly Beth clamped her hand over his mouth.

"We didn't find anything," she told them. "The werewolf must've left."

"Oh, yeah," said Noah.

"But we did find something out," informed Carly Beth. "We found out where all the monsters are."

"What?" Everyone started muttering.

"How do you know?" Ricky asked, sounding nervous.

"A police officer told me," said Carly Beth. "He didn't want to at first, but I kept bugging him. He said they were in a place called Horrorland."

At that, Lizzy and Luke cried out. "Horrorland?" Lizzy cried.

"We went there!" Luke exclaimed.

"What?" Carly Beth demanded.

"We were just saying that it could be a good place for the monsters to meet," said Lizzy. "We went there before. There were a bunch of Horrors, people in green costumes. At least, we thought they were costumes. But they weren't."

"They can be defeated by—"

"Where is Horrorland?" Noah cut Luke off.

"I don't know," said Lizzy. "It's been ages since I've been there. It was kind of in the midde of nowhere."

"I remember," added Luke. "We got lost while driving, and Mom and Dad were yelling at each other. Then we found the park."

"Don't remind me," said Lizzy, wincing at the memory of the car drive.

"Well, I know," said Carly Beth. "Kinda. W... I mean, the police officer told me some places it was near."

She started telling them about the places, and then they heard someone approaching them. They all froze as they saw a blonde girl appear from behind the trees and step up to the group. Then they relaxed. Another kid.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Laura. I heard what you all were talking about."

"How long were you there?" Carly Beth demanded.

"Oh, not long," Laura said. "I heard you talking about where you all should go. I have an idea." They stared at her. "One of you should follow me."

"What?" Lizzy asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You want to find the monsters, right?" asked Laura. "Well, I can help. Actually, I think I saw one."

"What?" Luke exclaimed. "You saw one? Where?"

"You seem excited," Laura noted with a smile. "Maybe you should follow me."

"What was the monster?" Lucy asked.

"I didn't see it for long enough," Laura said. "But it definitely was a monster. I'll show you there."

"We need weapons," Nicole pointed out. "Jordan and I have some. We could follow you."

"Only one of you should," Laura said. She suddenly looked stern.

"What? Why?" asked a confused Jordan.

"You just should," said Laura. "Either you or your sister."

"But why?" Nicole demanded. She supposed they looked similar enough that Laura guessed that they were siblings.

"If both of you decide to come, I won't show you the monster," Laura claimed.

They stared at her. "Oh, I get it," said Jordan. "You're joking, right? You heard us talking and decided to pretend you saw a monster too."

"No." Laura looked angry now. "One of you must come."

"Where did you come from?" asked Carly Beth. "How long were you watching us?"

She ignored her. "Well, if you don't want to come, I guess I should go."

"Wait," Lizzy protested. "You just said—"

They watched as she disappeared into the shadows. Literally, it seemed. One moment she was there, and the next she wasn't.

"Where'd she go?" asked a confused Lizzy.

"She just walked away," said Luke.

"What was her deal?" asked Jordan. "Why did she want only one of us to come?"

"Forget about her," said Nicole. "She was probably just joking around with us."

Soon, they forgot about the strange girl and started making plans. Carly Beth told them the locations Horrorland was near, though she wasn't sure where the theme park itself was. They'd separate into groups to head to some of them. Except for Amy and Jed, who wanted to visit the school their sister went to.

"But why?" asked Nicole. "It's closed now, and even if you broke in, you wouldn't find anything."

"You're right," admitted Amy. "We just want to see it. It's the last place she was before her death. And she loved art."

"Sounds like a waste of time," remarked Nicole.

"Don't be so insensitive," Jordan scolded. "Their sister died." Nicole scowled. Usually she was the one scolding him.

"Alright, if you want," Carly Beth told them. "Just be careful."

Aaron also had another idea. "There was a report of a monster being killed," he said. "Near Harding Middle School." Ricky looked at him at those words.

"Oh, right," added Sarah. "That's where our dad went to school growing up. I can't believe there were monsters there."

"Too bad we don't know where it is," Aaron said.

"I do," Noah spoke up, to Carly Beth's surprise.

She looked at him. "How?"

"I know Harding Town," he said. "We used to live there when we were little, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" said Carly Beth. "How could I forget? But how do you remember where it is, Noah? I've forgotten."

"Mom and Dad took me there once," Noah reminded. "They wanted to revisit the place, I guess. You didn't go. You were at Sabrina's house."

"Oh, yeah," said Carly Beth. "Now I wish I went."

"So you'll show us there?" asked an excited Aaron.

"Who says we're going there?" protested Sarah.

"I want to," said Aaron. "If you don't, you can go back home."

"I'll come," Sarah insisted, sounding uneasy. "I'm just... nervous."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," teased Aaron.

"I'll come with you," volunteered Ricky. They looked at him in surprise. "I've been to that place too," he explained.

"That's great," said Aaron. "So four of us are headed to this Harding place."

"Five," corrected Carly Beth. "I wouldn't let my little brother go alone." Noah scowled.

Everyone made plans and shared their supplies. Sarah didn't want to go to find the monster, even if it was in the place her father had grown up in. She was too scared. She had only agreed so she wouldn't look like a coward in front of everyone. Aaron would be disappointed, but she'd make up an excuse. Say she wanted to find the monster Laura had said she had seen. Yes, that was it. She had only wanted one person to come with her, for some reason.

"I'm going to find the other monster," Sarah announced as they were preparing to leave. "The one Laura saw."

Aaron stared at her. "You met that girl again?"

"Yes," Sarah lied. "She spoke to me. I think she's telling the truth. We have to find as many monsters as possible, don't we?"

"Well... that's true," Aaron said. "But I don't get why she wants only one person to come. Well, take this." He offered her one of the rucksacks. She felt guilty about accepting it, since he needed it more than her.

"Thanks," Sarah said. She noticed Carly Beth was looking oddly at her, as if she knew she wasn't going to find the other monster.

As Sarah started to leave, Carly Beth said, "Sarah, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Sarah turned to her. "Uh, sure."

"Give me a second," Carly Beth told Aaron and Noah. She told Sarah in a lowered voice, "You're not going to find the monster, are you?"

Sarah was taken aback. "I... well... no," she admitted. "How did you know?"

"The look on your face," Carly Beth said. "I got that look before. You don't want to find the monster."

"You're right," admitted an ashamed Sarah. "I just want to go home. I know I'm a coward. But I can't do this."

"You're not a coward," Carly Beth assured. "I used to be scared of monsters too. I used to be scared of everything, actually."

"You?" asked Sarah doubtfully. "You seem so confident and brave. You were acting like the leader while Billy was away."

"Well, I am now," said Carly Beth. "But before, I was scared easily."

"Well, you aren't anymore," Sarah noted. "You're going to find the monster with my brother, unlike me."

"I think you should come with us," Carly Beth suggested. "You should face your fears. That's the only way you'll get over them."

"I don't think I can," insisted Sarah. "Not just because I'm afraid. I'm worried I'll mess something up."

"You won't," assured Carly Beth.

"How do you know?" challenged Sarah. "We need to be careful while finding the monster. I'll just get in the way."

"One of us will probably mess up as well," Carly Beth pointed out. "We're just kids, after all. You won't be the only one to mess up."

"I just don't think I should go," said Sarah. "I'm sorry, Carly Beth. I know I'm a coward."

"Well, if you're sure," said Carly Beth, looking disappointed. "Be careful when you go home." Sarah felt guilty as she returned to Aaron and Noah. But she couldn't go. She just couldn't.

She walked down the street to the end. Thankfully, the kids were too busy forming groups to notice her leaving. She had almost left the street when she saw a girl step out from behind a tree. It was Laura.

Sarah jumped, startled. Laura said, "Where are you going?"

"Home," said Sarah. "I can't find the monster. I just can't. I'm a coward, I know. You don't have to tell me."

Laura stared at her. "You want to go home?"

"Yes," said Sarah. "I know you saw a monster, but I can't help you find that one, either."

Suddenly, a smile spread across Laura's face. "That's fine," she said. "I'll accompany you while you walk home."

"Really?" asked a surprised Sarah.

"Yes," she said. "It's dangerous to be walking around at night on your own. Just show me to your home."

"Well, that's very nice of you," said Sarah. "Alright, you can come with me."

They left the street and started walking through town. Soon it was quiet, without the kids talking. Sarah wished their voices would return. It was too eerie now. It was silent aside from their footsteps. The night air was cold and chilling. Sarah thought for a frightening moment that she couldn't remember where her house was. Then she saw houses from Timberland Falls, to her relief.

"This is my town," she told Laura as they entered Timberland Falls. Then it was awkwardly silent again. Sarah wanted to talk to Laura, so it wouldn't be eerily silent, but she didn't know what to say.

"You were part of the group, Sarah?" Laura asked.

"Uh, yeah," said Sarah. "How do you know my name?" She should've told her while they were walking, though she didn't think she had. It seemed like an obvious thing to say. Why hadn't she thought of it?

"I heard Carly Beth speaking to you," Laura explained.

Sarah was confused. How could she have heard them when she was so far away?

Suddenly, Laura stopped walking. Sarah looked at her. "I guess I'll walk the rest of the way," she said. "Thanks for accompanying me."

But Laura shook her head. "No. You can't leave." Suddenly, her voice sounded different, deeper. "You're my next victim."

"What?" asked a confused Sarah. "What are you talking about?"

"I used to live at Camp Full Moon," Laura explained, her voice deep and menacing. "I killed one camper each year. Their souls were trapped at camp, unable to proceed to the afterlife." Sarah gasped. "But now, I'm no longer confined there. Now, I will kill one person from the group. It'll be you."

"This is a joke, right?" asked Sarah uneasily, wishing it was. "You're trying to scare me?"

Sarah watched in horror as Laura began to change. She grew orange hair on her body, her blonde hair shrank into her head, her face contorted and reshaped itself, and her hands grew claws as she shrank. Sarah closed her eyes, not knowing what she was seeing, and when she opened them, she saw an orange fox in place of the girl.

"No!" Sarah cried. What had happened? Was Laura a shapeshifter?

Sarah tried running, but the fox leapt at her, digging its claws into her skin. Sarah cried out in pain. She fell to the ground as the fox pounced on top of her, ripping at her skin and clothes. She closed her eyes, her heart racing. Was this how she was going to die? Well, it wouldn't be the first time something from a camp of ghosts tried to kill her.


End file.
